MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES NEW CFO
On Monday, Nov. 27 Mayor Martin Walsh announced the appointment of Emme Handy of the South End, as the Chief Financial Officer (CF)), Collector-Treasurer and Chief of Administration and Finance for the City of Boston. Handy brings more than a decade of experience in government finance, administration, and fiscal policy and management to the role.
As CFO, Handy is responsible for all aspects of financial management for the City of Boston. In this role, she will continue the sound fiscal stewardship of the city’s human and financial resources to support the long term growth and stability of the city. Her financial responsibilities include debt and investment management, financial reporting, budget development and oversight, tax administration, and administration of enterprise-wide systems. As Collector-Treasurer, she is the custodian of more than 300 City trust funds.
Handy joins the City of Boston after serving as the Senior Director of Financial Planning and Analysis for the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where she oversaw the development and implementation of the Institute’s $400 million annual operating budget and $20 million capital budget.
“I am honored to join Mayor Walsh’s team and to have the opportunity to serve the residents of Boston,” said Handy. “I am eager to get to work implementing the Mayor’s vision for the city by building on his strong record of responsible management and financial sustainability.”
Handy will take on her new role on January 1, 2018.
SHARE A SPACE?
Do you have an extra room to rent in your home? In need of some additional income? A graduate student looking for more affordable housing in a unique environment? The City of Boston has a new initiative matching graduate students with older adult homeowners with rooms to rent. We are partnering with Nesterly, who provide extensive vetting of matches and support after they are made. Please call 917-609-5730 for more information or by email, [email protected]. General questions please call Andrea Burns at the Elderly Commission at 617-635-4877.
UNCOMMON PROJECT
Emerson College will be unveiling the Uncommon Project, a series of visual and media art illustrations that will illuminate the Little Building at 80 Boylston Street on Friday, December 1 at 7:30p.m.
The Uncommon Project, a large-scale projection-mapping showcase, will combine the work of local artists and Emerson faculty and students. The project will be viewable on the ground from the Boston Common and the surrounding area and will be in place for several months during the construction and renovation of the Little Building.
The College has partnered with the Emerson Urban Arts Program and the faculty Public Art Think Tank (PATT) in coordination with the creators of Boston’s ILLUMINUS festival, which recently showcased its projection-mapping event in Downtown Crossing.
SOUTH END DATES
•The next Working Group on Addiction, Recovery, and Homelessness in the South End will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 4 p.m. in the Hampton Inn and Suites meeting room. Other meetings will include Jan. 16.
•The Eight Streets Neighborhood Association will hold its holiday party on Tuesday, Dec. 12, at The Eagle, 520 Tremont St.
•The next South End Forum will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at 6 p.m. in the South End Library.
MASSPORT AIRPLANE NOISE COMPLAINT LINE
Residents who are being disturbed by airplane noise are encouraged to call the MassPort Noise Hotline 24 hours a day. The phone number is (617) 561-3333.
FROG POND ICE SKATING RETURNS
The winter ice-skating at the Boston Frog Pond as returned with its earliest ever opening this past Tuesday, Nov. 14.
Winter hours are Mon: 10 – 3:45pm, Tues-Thurs: 10 – 9 p.m., Fri-Sat 10 – 10p.m. and Sun 10 – 9 p.m.
Admission price based on skater’s height 58-inces and over: $6, anything under free. Skating rentals and lockers are available for purchase.
THE FRAMES ARE BACK
The large picture frames along the lagoon edge in the Boston Public Garden are back. On Nov. 2, the Friends of the Public Garden (FOPG) installed three frames in the Garden that swivel 360 degrees, allowing tourists and residents to capture their own unique masterpiece. This year the FOPG changed things up a bit and installed a frame at a lower height to accommodate littler ones, including dogs.
After snapping your photos use the #FOPG and visit @friendsofthepublicgarden on Instagram.
The frames will be in the Garden until mid-December 2017, weather permitting.
FRIENDS OF FAIRSTED LECTURE SERIES
Beyond Drawings: The Olmsted Archives as Muse and Vision lecture will feature Lucinda Brockway, the cultural resources program director for The Trustees of Reservations.
Brockway, is a noted garden designer, landscape historian, and preservation specialist. In this presentation Lucinda will bring her research stories to life, illustrating the relevance of the Archives to historic preservation projects and design work, both present and future.
The lecture begins with a reception at 6p.m. with lecture at 7p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 7, at Wheelock College, Brookline Campus, 43 Hawes Street. Seated is limited, visit friendsoffairsted.org to reserve your seat.
KIDZONE AT FENWAY COMMUNITY CENTER
Everyone is invited to join in at a holiday pajama party at KidZone, Saturday, December 2 from 11:30a.m – 1:30p.m. at the Fenway Community Center at 1282 Boylston Street.
Decorate sugar cookies and make an ornament to take home. Come dressed in your most festive pajamas!
If you have any questions email [email protected]. KidZone is brought to you through a partnership between Operation P.E.A.C.E. and the FCDC.
MAYOR’S HOLIDAY SPECIAL
Mayor Martin Walsh has launched the 14th Annual Mayor’s Holiday Special supported by the Highland Street Foundation, produced by ArtsBoston and created in partnership with the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. Tickets are on sale now at www.MayorsHoliday.com and at the ArtsBoston Booths located at Copley Square and Faneuil Hall Marketplace.
The Mayor’s Holiday Special is an annual event designed to shine a light on arts and cultural events that take place in Greater Boston during the holiday season. This two-month celebration of performing arts features thousands of great deals to over 500 mostly holiday performances, as well as dining experiences and an online calendar of free holiday events across the city.
TEMPLE EMETH SISTERHOOD RUMMAGE SALE
The Sisterhood will hold a Rummage Sale on Friday, December 8, 9-12p.m. and Sunday, December 10, 9-1p.m. Clothing for all ages, books, jewelry, bric-a-brac, household goods and a fabulous “Boutique.”
Temple Emeth, 1000 West Roxbury Parkway, Chestnut Hill, MA (off Putterham Circle across Cheryl Ann’s Bakery). Call 617-469-9400 for more information or directions.
CHRISTMAS CONCERT AT ST. CECILIA CHURCH
Boston’s Copley Singers will present Holiday/ Christmas Concerts, featuring traditional and new arrangements of anthems and carols of the season. Brian Jones will conduct the 35-voice semi-professional Copley Singers in music of Willcocks, Rutter, Chilcott, Taverner, Leroy Anderson, Elizabeth Poston, and many others.
The audience will be invited to join with the chorus in such favorite as ‘O Come All Ye Faithful,’ ‘God Rest You Merry Gentlemen,’ and ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sin.’ The brilliant young Katelyn Emerson, organist and pianist, will accompany many of the selections, and the festive and engaging program will have something for everyone in the audience to enjoy.
The event will happen on Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 7p.m. at St. Cecilia Church, 18 Belvidere St. Information: 617-536-4548. Tickets $20 general admission, $10 seniors and students, children admitted free.
SONS OF THE PROPHET
Boston Conservatory at Berklee presents Sons of the Prophet, Stephen Karam’s 2012 Pulitzer finalist play about a Lebanese-American family living in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, at the Boston Conservatory Theater, Dec. 6 through 9. The play is a dark comedy about pain and loss, and how much the human condition can handle. The Conservatory’s production is directed by alumnus Michael Mosallam (M.M. ’06, musical theater).
If to live is to suffer, then Joseph Douaihy is more alive than most. With unexplained chronic pain and the fate of his reeling family on his shoulders, Joseph’s health, sanity, and insurance premium are on the line. In an age when modern medicine has a cure for just about everything, Sons of the Prophet is one of the most comedic plays about human suffering in recent years.
The play will take place Wednesday, December 6 – Saturday, December 9 at the Boston Conservatory Theater, 31 Hemenway Street, second floor at 8p.m. Admission is $25 – $30. To purchase tickets visit bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/events or call 617-912-9222, Wednesday-Friday 12 – 5p.m.
WARD 4 HOLIDAY PARTY & MEET UP
Boston Ward 4 Holiday Party and Gov Candidate Meet-and-Greet will take place Tuesday, December 19 from 6 – 8 p.m. at the South End Branch of the Boston Public Library, 685 Tremont St. Join fellow friends from the Boston Ward 4 Committee, Ward 4, or neighboring wards (everyone is welcome!) to reflect on the past year, prepare for the next one, and have fun.
The three declared Democratic gubernational candidates – Jay Gonzalez, Bob Massie, and Setti Warren – will all be there. They’ll have time to talk, and then you’ll have plenty of time to mingle and ask questions.
TREE REMOVAL HEARINGS
•Back Bay – The Parks and Recreation Department will hold a public hearing on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 11a.m. on a request to remove nine linden trees each measuring 3 inches dbh (diameter at breast height) at 500 Boylston St/222 Berkeley St due to sidewalk reconstruction. Public testimony will be taken at the hearing, or by emailing [email protected] with “Back Bay Tree Hearing” in the subject line.
•South End – The Parks and Recreation Department will hold a public hearing on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 11:30 a.m. on a request to remove 10 public shade trees at 321 Harrison Ave due to sidewalk reconstruction as part of a new office building being designed at the site. Public testimony will be taken at the hearing or by emailing [email protected] with “South End Tree Hearing” in the subject line.