News Briefs

YWCA TO BE BOUTIQUE HOTEL

The old YWCA building at 40 Berkeley Street in the Ellis neighborhood has been proposed to become a 164-room hotel geared to the younger set who prefer lower rates and fewer amenities.

Mount Vernon Company has proposed to turn the former YMCA and hostel into the Revolution Hotel. Beyond the hipster hotel will be a revamp of the old courtyard to include and indoor-outdoor restaurant, as well as a co-working office space in the basement that will become a bar at night.

Mount Vernon projected the average room rates to be $150 per night.

 

LIBERTY GROUP MARIJUANA PROPOSAL BEFORE GROUPS

The Liberty Compassionate Group – a medical/recreational marijuana dispensary company – will make its first South End presentation to the South End Forum Opiate Working Group and the Blackstone/Franklin Neighborhood Association on Sept. 18 at regular meetings.

Liberty has been said to already have a dispensary license in Taunton, and would hope to transfer that license to 591 Albany St. in the South end. The proposal has been bantered about for the last several months between neighbors, and was discussed at the July Worcester Square Area Neighborhood Association (WSANA) meeting.

The proposal would actually stand in opposition to the proposal on Tremont Street by Compassionate Organics, as the half-mile radius rule would block out one or the other.

Some in the community have stated that they prefer the site on Albany Street, and the ownership is apparently speaking with major property owners like Leggat McCall and Exchange South End already. The substance of the proposal has yet to be heard.

 

SOUTH END FORUM TO FEATURE MAYOR WALSH

Mayor Martin Walsh has been confirmed to make his annual appearance at the South End Forum on Tuesday, Sept 11, in the South End Library.

Mayor Walsh makes an annual trek to the Forum each year for a presentation and a Q&A session. This year he’ll do that on Sept. 11, said Moderator Steve Fox.

The topic du jour will likely be the opiate crisis and the City’s response to what has been described as a disastrous summer on the Mass/Cass corridor. The Mayor’s full cabinet will be in attendance as well.

Meanwhile, new Police Commissioner Willie Gross will be at the Forum to meet and greet neighbors in attendance. Gross has been a friend of the Forum for several years.

Another piece that is still up in the air is whether or not KB Ventures will be able to come and present their plans to the Forum for the Alexandra Hotel. KB has met with neighbors and with the South End Landmarks, but has not yet appeared at the forum since coming on the scene in July.

 

BACK BAY HAPPENINGS

  • The Friends of the Public Garden are looking for champion volunteer weeders to help maintain the beautiful Boylston Street border and the Beacon Street border in the Public Garden. ‘You supply the enthusiasm, we supply the gloves, kneepads, and some brief instructions on weed identification!’ Volunteers meet up on alternating Thursdays.

 

SOUTH END DATES

  • The next UPNA General Meeting, open to all in the neighborhood, will be held on Weds., October 3, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Community Music Center of Boston, 537 Tremont Street.

Details on the agenda will follow in a few weeks, but it will include these items:

*Consideration of the proposed development project for 24 Union Park

*Discussion of the proposal to open a medical marijuana facility close to our neighborhood

*A presentation and update on the development at the site of the former Flower Exchange on Albany Street

*A ‘State of the Park’ discussion regarding the care and maintenance of Union Park.

  • The quarterly South End Forum will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 6 p.m. in the South End Library.
  • The Eight Streets Neighborhood Association will have its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 11, in Project Place, 6:30 p.m. The agenda is still TBA.
  • The East Berkeley Neighborhood Association (EBNA) will have its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 6:30 p.m. in Project Place.
  • The Ellis South End Neighborhood Association Board of Directors will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at 6:30 p.m. at One Chandler Street.

 

FENWAY TIMES

  • New summer hours for Fenway Community Center. Monday through Saturday open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, also open 5-8 p.m. Closed Sunday.
  • Upcoming Red Sox Home Games:

The Red Sox will be on the road until Friday Sept. 7.

  • Upcoming Fenway Park Events: Saturday, 11/10/18 & Sunday, 11/11/18—Spartan Race, 10,000 expected, times TBA

Saturday, 11/17/18—“The Game” Harvard v. Yale, 35,000 expected, 12:00pm-3:30pm

  • Upcoming Potential Fenway Park Light Use & Sound Checks:

-Wednesday, September 5- Thursday, September 6 approx. 5:00-10:00pm: There is the possibility of the use of one bank of lights overnight (the tower lights facing the Mass Pike) for operation and worker safety purposes during field maintenance at the ballpark.

-Friday, September 7 Postgame: There is the possibility of the use of one bank of lights overnight (the tower lights facing the Mass Pike) for operation and worker safety purposes during field maintenance at the ballpark.

  • Join us in The Victory Gardens for our annual harvest festival, “Fensfest” on Saturday, September 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Celebrate with food, music, raffles and lots of fun stuff. Learn about butterflies, bees and other pollinators.

Are you a City of Boston resident and interested in joining our waitlist for a garden plot of your own? If so, send an e-mail to [email protected] with your name, preferred contact e-mail, phone number, and waitlist request.

 

SEPTEMBER 11 DAY OF REMEMBRANCE BLOOD DRIVE AT FENWAY PARK

Members of the public are invited to honor those lost in the September 11 terrorist attacks by giving blood at the annual Day of Remembrance blood drive at Fenway Park, Tuesday September 11, 2018, from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

All presenting donors will receive a free T-shirt, a cup of Legal Sea Food clam chowder, a discounted tour of Fenway Park and the chance to take pictures with the World Series trophies. The first 100 donors will also receive a commemorative pin.

“Within hours of the first plane striking the World Trade Center, the Red Cross was there,” said Holly Grant, Chief Executive Officer of the Red Cross of Massachusetts. “By donating blood at this drive, you honor not just those who gave their lives, but those who spent weeks caring for the first responders and reuniting loved ones.”

Since this blood drive began in 2002, more than 11,000 blood donations have been collected. The event is also supported by the Honorable Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the City of Boston, Boston Police, Boston Fire, Boston Emergency Medical Services and Legal Sea Foods.

 

TASTE OF THE FENWAY

Savor this date and join the Fenway CDC to enjoy delicious tastings of food, drinks, beer, wine, and hard cider from 33 restaurants and businesses. Taste of The Fenway will feature award-winning restaurants and local businesses in the Fenway, live music by Berklee College of Music, and interactive art by Fenway Studios. Each ticket is $45 (special Fenway CDC 45th anniversary price) and includes all-you-can-eat tastings, drinks, and entertainment. Tickets are available at www.tasteofthefenway.org Event Partners: Fenway Community Development Corporation and Samuels & Associates.

The event takes place on Thursday, Sept. 20, 5-7 p.m. on Van Ness Street (from Kilmarnock Street to Richard B Ross Way).

 

FENWAY COMMUNITY CENTER GRAND RE-OPENING RECEPTION

It’s been a busy few months at FCC as we’ve opened our doors for daily “drop in” hours, hosted a number of programs and events, and met dozens of enthusiastic Fenwickians who can’t wait for Fenway Community Center to officially reopen and again offer weekly programming. Please join us on Friday, September 14, from 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM for Fenway Community Center’s Grand Reopening Reception!  Featuring food, drink, and live music, this FREE event will kick off a weekend of events welcoming new and old friends to Fenway Community Center.  To register, bit.ly/FCCReopening

Following Friday evening’s festivities, we’ll offer sneak previews of some of our fall programs during the rest of the weekend:

SATURDAY (9/15):

Complimentary Bagels & Coffee, 9:30 AM

Kid Zone, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Acting is Believing: An Acting Practicum, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Game Night, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

SUNDAY (9/16):

Complimentary Bagels & Coffee, 10:30 AM

Death Cafe, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Be sure to visit our website, fenwaycommunitycenter.org, for the most up-to-date calendar of programs during our “Reopening Reception and Weekend.”

As a special offer, for anyone who attends an event at FCC and signs up for a 2019 Fenway Community Center membership during the “Reopening Reception and Weekend,” your 2019 membership will begin IMMEDIATELY!  You read that correctly – if you sign up at FCC during the weekend of 9/14, you will get a bonus 3+ months of FCC membership that includes members-only “drop in” hours, exclusive programs, and discounts on FCC programs.

 

PAN MASS CHALLENGE AND TEAM 9

Earlier this month, 40 members of the Red Sox Team 9 family took part in the 39th annual Pan Mass Challenge to raise money for the Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Each year a group of riders from the Red Sox family come together to form Team 9, in order to raise money for the Jimmy Fund and cancer research. Team 9 was formed and named in honor of Ted Williams, the Red Sox legend whose tireless dedication to the Jimmy Fund is as extraordinary as his illustrious baseball career. The PMC is not only the largest athletic fundraising event in the nation, but also donates 100% of the money raised to the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber. Since its inception in 1980, the PMC has donated over $598 million to cancer research, will over $100 million directly benefiting the Jimmy Fund.  The PMC is actually the Jimmy Fund’s largest contributor, accounting for about 46% of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue. This year alone Team 9 raised over $185,000 in support of the Jimmy Fund and cancer research. In the ten years since Team 9 was formed, Team 9 has raised close to $3.4 million for the PMC.

 

IBA DIRECTOR TO BE HONORED

IBA Director Vanessa Calderon Rosado will receive an Abigail Adams tribute award in October from the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus.

Celebrating its 31st year of recognizing outstanding women leaders who have demonstrated a firm commitment to advancing the political, economic and social rights for women, the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus is proud to announce its slate of honorees for this year’s Tribute to Abigail Adams.

Dr. Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, CEO of Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA),has led the organization in its mission of empowering individuals and families to improve their lives through high-quality affordable housing, education, and arts programs for fifteen years. Under her leadership, IBA became the largest Latino-led nonprofit organization in Greater Boston. In addition to her role at IBA, Dr. Calderón-Rosado serves as the Co-Founder of the Greater Boston Latino Network and a Founding Member of the Margarita Muñiz Academy, the first dual-language innovation high school in Massachusetts.

 

JUNIOR LEAGUE OF BOSTON EVENTS

  • Nov. 10 – Moonlight Masquerade, Aloft Boston Seaport

The night will include dancing, drinks and a raffle to raise funds for the League’s community programs.

  • February 28, 2019-March 2, 2019

LBDI (Little Black Dress Initiative), Kick off TBA.  LBDI is an advocacy campaign that seeks to raise community awareness on the issues of poverty in Boston. During the week, LBDI advocates will wear the same black dress for five consecutive days to illustrate the effects poverty can have on a woman’s access to resources, her confidence and professional opportunities.

  • March 30, 2019 – Annual Charity Gala, JFK Museum.

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