STATE OF THE CITY
Mayor Martin Walsh announced that he will deliver his annual State of the City address at Symphony Hall on Jan. 15. The mayor has been mum on what he will talk about or about any new policies he will announce. When asked by the Sun last Friday, he said he isn’t giving away any hints right now. The mayor, as evidenced by his Long Island Bridge announcement last January, loves a surprise.
ORCHARD GARDENS SPEAKS OUT AGAINST KIOSKS
While the City has approved about 10 new needle kiosks throughout the City, Southender from the Orchard Gardens K-8 school on Albany Street are very vocal this month about removing the existing kiosk on their grounds.
“We are very concerned and we are actually trying to get one of these kiosks removed,” said Janina Rackard, a Columbus Avenue resident who is a parent at the school. “My daughter can’t go outside and play because there are too many needles in her schoolyard. The kiosk is 25 steps from her school. That is not acceptable. I want to make it clear that kiosk has done nothing. It invites them there and says it’s okay to come there and do what they do. I want to be clear that we are not okay with them.”
The kiosk debate has been going on for about a year, and there are four kiosks already in place, including the one at Orchard.
TRAFFIC FATALITIES GET D-4 ATTENTION
D-4 Capt. Steve Sweeney told the South End Forum on Tuesday that his department has been vigorously enforcing traffic over the past year, but two high-profile pedestrian strikes this month have put a damper on their good efforts.
On New Year’s Eve, an elderly man getting out of his car was hit on Dartmouth Street. The man is recovering but suffered a shattered leg and has a long recovery ahead of him.
Last Saturday, Marathon Bombing survivor Adrienne Haslet was hit in a crosswalk on Commonwealth Avenue in the Back Bay at 7 p.m. The driver stayed at the scene, but was cited for failure to stop for a pedestrian. Haslet has undergone extensive surgery for the accident, and it has been quite public.
Sweeney said last year they wrote 9,000 moving violations and 1,566 of those were for crosswalk violations.
“I know you don’t see them out there, but traffic safety is a high priority in D-4,” he said.
He mentioned there have been two fatalities in the last year at the Mass. Avenue and Newbury Street intersection, and there were also pedestrians killed in the South End on Tremont Street last year as well.
HIGH PROFILE AGENDA FOR WALSH
Mayor Martin Walsh unveiled his 2019 state legislative priorities this week, and highlighting them were requests to increase the numbers of liquor licenses in Boston and changing the fee structure for Transportation Network Company’s (TNCs), which are ride-shares like Uber.
The mayor has been after the state to grant more liquor licenses for Boston for some time, and that is still a priority this year. That includes licenses for places that are under-represented, including Main Streets Districts like Washington Gateway.
The TNC legislation is more sweeping, and would work to determine a better fee structure to tax Uber and Lyft-style companies per ride. Right now, they are charged 20 cents, which is quite low for a major city.
Walsh’s plan calls for a higher levy for rides that have only once passenger, and a lower fee for rides that are shared with others.
BACK BAY HAPPENINGS
•French Cultural Center – Join physician and certified
Health and Wellness Coach Martine Vounatsos for a series of three cooking
workshops. She will discuss ways to incorporate wellness into every aspect of a
woman’s mental and physical health, from exercise and supplements to sleep
habits and cooking methods.
Participants will craft and enjoy a traditional and healthy French meal with
Martine in a convivial environment. Each workshop will begin promptly at 11:10
a.m. Aprons, ingredients, and will be kitchenware provided.
Please note, this event is intended for women only and in English.
*Friday, JAN. 11, 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Come learn about nutrients, water intake, and dietary
habits, then enjoy preparing soupe de poireaux et pommes de terre
avec une salade en vinaigrette (potato leek soup and salad
with homemade vinaigrette).
*Friday, Jan. 18, 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
In this discussion, we will learn about sleeping better and
exercising—how and when? For the cooking workshop, attendees will prepare velouté
dvasperges et salade de carottes râpées (asparagus soup and
homemade carrot salad).
*Friday, Jan. 25, 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
For our last discussion, we will learn about vitamins, supplements, and meditation. For the cooking workshop, attendees will prepare soupe et crème de champignons et salade frisée au vinaigre balsamique (mushroom soup and frisée salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette).
•NABB will host a members reception on Sunday, Jan. 27, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the Boston Park Plaza Lobby. Come and meet your fellow NABB members and learn about Committees and Groups. New members are welcome and can join at the door. Please R.S.V.P. by Jan. 20.
WARD 4 DEMOCRATIC MEETING
Ward 4 Democratic Committee meeting will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 15, South End Library, 6 p.m. Want to learn how to help bring our elections into the 21st Century? The Ward 4 Dems’ January meeting will include presentations from local experts and advocates on Election Day Registration, ranked choice voting, and civic design. Email: [email protected] with any questions.
SOUTH END DATES
•The Worcester Square Area Neighborhood Association will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 22, with the location to be determined. WSANA has been meeting in a construction trailer on Albany Street, but that could change.
•Eight Streets Neighborhood Association did cancel its January meeting, but will be back in action on Tuesday, Feb. 12.
•The East Berkeley Neighborhood Association (EBNA) will have its monthly meeting on Jan. 15 at 6:30 p.m. in Project Place. The meeting will include a discussion of the medical marijuana dispensary on Albany Street, and will collect community comments for inclusion in an official letter to the City. There will be a safety/security update and the election for the Board of Directors.
•The Ellis South End Neighborhood Association will have its Board Meeting on Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. in 66 Berkeley St.
•The South End Forum Opiate Working Group has released its meeting schedule for Winter/Spring 2019. The group will meet at 4 p.m. in the Crosstown Hilton on Jan. 29, Feb. 19, March 19, April 23, and May 21.
•A Community meeting will take place for a proposed marijuana facility in the Newmarket area at 60 Newmarket Square in the South End. The meeting will be on Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. in the Plumbers and Gasfitters UA Local 12, 1240 Massachusetts Ave. The public will have an opportunity to ask questions.
•Shattuck Campus Meeting – The second community meeting for the Shattuck Campus Planning project will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 16, from 6:30–9 p.m. at the Golf Clubhouse in Franklin Park, Dorchester. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. The meeting will include: updates about a health needs and services assessment; and discussion about potential programmatic and service opportunities, site layout and possible ways to integrate the site with Franklin Park.
HOTEL ALEXANDRA IAG MEETING
The Hotel Alexandra Impact Advisory Group (IAG) meeting will take place on Jan. 16, 6 p.m., in the Mandela (1855 Washington St.). The IAG has been made public, but a list published in the Sun last week did not include Carol Blair. Blair, the president of Chester Square Neighborhood Association, is on the IAG.
The project filed on Nov. 30, and the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) has extended the comment period to Jan. 23.
JOAN DIVER AT SOUTH END LIBRARY
The first speaker in the 2019 Author’s Series, on Tuesday, Jan. 15, will be former South End resident, Joan Diver, with her debut memoir, When Spirit Calls: A Healing Odyssey. The Divers, who lived on West Newton Street in the 1970s and 1980s, were one of the three Boston families traced by J. Anthony Lukas for his 1985 book, Common Ground, which chronicled the impact of court-ordered busing on the lives of Bostonians. Common Ground won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Seating is limited.
FENWAY TIMES
•60 KILMARNOCK ST. IMPACT ADVISORY GROUP MEETING
The BPDA will hold an Impact Advisory Group Meeting on Jan. 10 from 6-8 p.m. in Room C101 of the Main Campus Building at Simmons College. The proposed project is located at 60, 67-75, 70-80 Kilmarnock St. and 59-75 Queensberry St. It will include a total of approximately 443 residential units in two buildings, totaling 420,800 square feet, separated by Kilmarnock Street, along with ground floor retail space fronting on Kilmarnock Street, and landscaped areas and other amenities and services for residents. The proposed project will also include 250 below-grade and surface parking spaces. Please note that the purpose of this meeting is different than that of a traditional community meeting. IAG meetings prioritize discussion between the project proponent (i.e. the developer) and IAG members.
•Friday, Feb. 8, and Saturday, Feb. 9 – Red Bull Crashed Ice | 20,000 expected per day | TBA
•The 2019 Fenway Garden Society board has been elected, with Elizabeth Bertolozzi returning as the President and Rick Richter returning as the VP of the Park. Pamela Jorgensen will be the treasurer, Michelle Parkos will be VP of communication and marketing, and David Patel, Sr. will be the VP of administration. “We are so excited and honored to have the opportunity to participate at this level in the coming year,” Bertolozzi said.
•2019 MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS OPUS ART SHOW—TAKE DOWN PARTY!
The Fenway Community Center will be hosting a free Opus Art Show on Jan. 15, from 6-8 p.m., featuring the original artwork of MFA security guards and additional staff. The event will also include live music and refreshments.
•LEGACY WORKSHOP SERIES AT THE FCC
The Fenway Community Center will be hosting a series of thought-provoking, creative conversations to celebrate our uniquely lived lives. Three unique sessions will encompass aspects of personalized storytelling, bucket list building, expressions of gratitude, and open contemplation of our own “last words.” The sessions are from 7-9 p.m. on the following Wednesdays: Jan. 16, 30, and Feb. 13, and cost of admission is $105 per person and includes a personal copy of Youlo Pages, the award-winning legacy planner/workbook/journal. To register, go to fcclegacyworkshopseries.eventbrite.com.
•Fenway Jam Session: Monday, January 14, 7 – 8 p.m. Come with your instrument (acoustic) and questions! Open to all levels All instruments and experience levels welcome! Long-term Fenway resident, David Ehle, has been a professional guitarist and musician for more than 40 years, and is knowledgeable in all styles – especially jazz and swing. and believes in the personal nature of music and has a sincere appreciation of all music (except for music so loud it hurts your ears!)