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State's Smart Growth/Smart Energy Award

OTC — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:10:20 -0600

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The Ashmont Grill has been chosen as one of five winners of the State's Smart Growth/Smart Energy Award this year. Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray will present the award at the Massachusetts Smart Growth Conference on Friday, Dec. 7.

Owner Chris Douglass richly deserves the award. Here are just a few of the Grill's accomplishments:

Bringing new life to the Ashmont Station area, drawing patrons on foot and by MBTA as well as by car
Creating 45 new jobs in the neighborhood
Using recycled materials in construction, and recycling all possible restaurant waste, including cooking oil for biodiesel fuel
Serving locally grown/caught fish, meat and vegetables, including herbs from the Grill's own on-site herb garden
Training local high school students in the restaurant business
So the next time you're enjoying a steak from a local pasture with vegetables from a nearby farm and a salad with herbs from the garden out back, prepared with help from a local teen who's "learning the business," be sure to congratulate Chris for a job well done! read more »

Connect the DOT Press Conference

DOTs — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 10:26:00 -0500

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On July 19th, we kicked off the Connect the DOT campaign at our first press conference. We had a great turn out and the Bay State Banner came to cover the story! At the conference, we talk about the campaign, what we will be doing this summer and how people can get involved.

Check out our photos from the event:

Up-date on Neighbors United Against Crime & Florida Corridor Neighborhood Association Block Party

SCI Dorchester — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 12:50:39 -0500

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From: bjmullen97@aol.com
To: bjmullen97@aol.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thursday, July 26, 2007 10:43AM
Subject: Up-date on Neighbors United Against Crime & Florida Corridor Neighborhood Association Block Party,

Up-date on Neighbors United Against Crime & Florida Corridor Neighborhood Association Block Party , which was held last Saturday July 21, 2007. More that 400 people came out to enjoy the great weather and the night festivities. There was information tables set up by the Codman Square Health Center, Neponset Health Center, Sheriff’s Department, Mass Affordable Housing Alliance and the Florida Corridor Neighborhood Association where many free thing and loads of information was passed out. Michael Cote who is running for City Council District 3 and Marty Hogan who is running for City Council at Large also had tables of information about their campaigns. John Connolly and his wife were on hand to pass out their information about John’s campaign to run for City Council at large as well. Clerk of Courts Maura Hennigan, City Councilor Charles Yancey, Mayor Menino and his wife Angela came by to say hi. Absent from the event for the second year were City Councilor Maureen Feeney, All the at large Councilors Steve Murphy, Sam Yoon, Felix Arroyo, and Michael Flaherty.

There was an abundant of great food, good music, great conversation and lots of prizes and free giveaways. A good time was had by all.

If you missed this exciting event not to worry. The Florida Corridor Neighborhood Association will be hosting our three-year anniversary party on October 9 th and a Holiday Party on December 11 th . Please stay tuned for more details. The Florida Corridor Neighborhood Association will be holding nominations for officers at our September meeting and elections at Octobers meeting. You must pay your $6.00 membership by September 9 th to vote in the October’s election.

Special Thank you to Bill Forry from the Dorchester Reporter for his support with advertising, City Councilor Charles Yancey who crossed District lines to be with us, as well as Mayor Menino, Sheriff Andrea Cabral, Father Dan Finn,. Ashmont Senior Apartments, St. Marks Youth Group, and the long list of sponsors who with their generosity helped us put on this great event.

Also special thanks to Mayor Thomas Menino, Senator Jack Hart, City Councilor Maureen Feeney, Representative’s Marty Walsh and Linda Dorcena Forry, Candidate for City Council District 3, Michael Cote, Candidates for at Large Council John Connolly and Marty Hogan for their financial support. read more »

COME OUT TO "THE PEACE OUT"

SCI Dorchester — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 22:43:27 -0500

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Dorchester- Lorenz Island Kuisine owner Christopher Graham is a man
facilitating change. The Jamaican restaurateur, among other local Codman
Square merchants, ahs announced a concert and celebration planned for July
28 in that neighborhood. The event, named "Peace Out", is finally being
realized by Graham, after the idea was born more than a year ago when he was
just opening his business.

"When I took control of the building, I wanted to do something to celebrate
and bring people out in the community," Graham said, "Now we have a chance
to pull it off."

This past Monday, Graham ad fellow local merchants including Mike Dockery
form Summit Electronics, Oscar Moreno form Mt. Washington Bank and Roger
Lawson of Lawson Hair Salon, gathered before the Codman Square Neighborhood
council to ask for ideas as they share their message with the community.
"This isn't about money," said Dockery. "It's about showing love and giving
care back to the community."

Graham, who co-owns the Lorenz Island Kuisine at 657 Washington St. with his
sister Michele, said it took the death of his uncle to push him to make the
event happen. "After my uncle was killed in April, I felt that enough was
enough, and there needed to be change," Graham said, adding that the goal of
the event is to get people in the community to have fun, meet each other
and learn who their neighbors are.

"If we get to know our neighbors, it'll be much easier to notice and report
when we see something out of place," he said.

Running from noon to approximately 5pm, at the corner of Washington st. and
Euclid St. (next to 657 Washington St. ) the event will include live music,
local vendors and food alongside community-based organizations like AIDS
Action Coalition, the Guardian Angels and the Codman Square Health Center.
Graham is hoping that city officials will come out to bring a positive
message to local residents.

"I hope the media can help us spread our message, he said. "It seems like
the media is always there when it's wrong, and this is a chance to be there
when it is right." read more »

New Projects Dotting Neighborhood Help Revamp Image

SCI Dorchester — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 22:21:40 -0500

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July 23, 2007
By Kay Metcalfe,
Editorial Assistant

Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood is in the midst of another ferocious summer. Last week, two teenagers were shot in a gang-related dispute, pushing the number of assaults to 632 for the first half of the year, about the same as a year ago, according to the Boston Police Department.

While developers and community leaders do not deny that Dorchester is one of the city’s most violent neighborhoods with 13 murders so far this year, they insist a string of new projects could help transform its image.

Several initiatives are under way along Dorchester Avenue as part of Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s effort to improve the area, according to the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

The Carruth, a $50 million mixed-use housing development is under construction in the Ashmont/Peabody Square section in conjunction with the redevelopment of the Ashmont MBTA station. Upon completion next year, it could change people’s stereotypes about Dorchester, according to members of local neighborhood groups.

“It will add a lot of new life to the area and bring in new people,” said Patricia O’Neill, president of the Ashmont Adams Neighborhood Association. “People will find out what the jewel of Dorchester really is – the Ashmont/Peabody Square area.”

The parcel is located on a former parking lot in an area described as a “no-mans-land” and a “wasteland” by Vincent A. Droser, vice president of development at Boston-based Trinity Financial, the project’s developer.

“No one took ownership of the parcel because it was stuck between two different neighborhoods and the old station took up a lot of the site,” he said. “When the T station became run-down, the crime rate rose. It was not taken care of and people would get off the train and run home as fast as they could.”

The transit-oriented development was conceived and developed as the $64 million MBTA station was being designed. The two projects are closely linked, sharing construction timing, foundations and access ways. The MBTA “hub” station is home to 15 bus lines, the Red Line train and the Mattapan trolley, and has 17,080 people pass through the station a day, according to Joseph Pesaturo, MBTA spokesman.

The Carruth will feature 116 condominiums and apartments. The first floor will be home to 10,000 square feet of retail space and feature a Wainwright Bank, a Flat Black coffee shop and Tavalo, an Italian restaurant owned by celebrity chef Chris Douglass.

‘Bigger Picture’
There are several other major projects under way in Dorchester. River’s Edge in the Lower Mills neighborhood is a historical renovation combined with new construction that will result in 62 residential units along the river. Baker Square Lofts, situated within a series of old red-brick historic mill buildings that are undergoing rehabilitation into 80 condominiums units, is under construction.

In Field’s Corner, north of Peabody Square, a project at 1460 Dorchester Ave. is under way by nonprofit developer Viet-Aid. The project will produce 43 affordable units. Savin Hill is awaiting the arrival of Crescent Court at 944 Dorchester Ave, which will be a combination development of a rehabilitated brick loft and new construction resulting in 58 residential units.

In addition, $5 million has been allocated for capital improvements along Dorchester Avenue by the city, approximately $137 million has been invested in renovating the Dorchester MBTA stops along the Red Line and $3.5 million is expected to be used on the reconstruction of Peabody Square, according to James Fitzgerald, a BRA planner.

Commercial activity along Dorchester Avenue is on the rise, according to Jeremy Rosenberger, also a planner with the BRA. With all the development going on, it makes sense to enhance the business activity in the area, he said.

Field’s Corner Mall is undergoing a complete renovation and upgrade, and Freeport is seeing many old industrial buildings and empty parcels inciting interest from possible developers, he added.

Vicki Kayser Rugo, a member of the Ashmont Hill Association, has high hopes for the redevelopment of Peabody Square as a whole.

“The Carruth is really part of the bigger picture in Peabody Square,” she said. “If it all pulls together, it will connect all the different neighborhoods around the square. There was not a whole lot of communication going on between neighborhoods but with redevelopment and the Carruth/transit center will really bring people together.” read more »

Initiative for Diversity in Civic Leadership

SCI Dorchester — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 22:03:14 -0500

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July 25, 2007 – For Immediate Release

Initiative for Diversity in Civic Leadership
to Honor First Graduating Class

Governor Patrick, Mayor Menino to Participate in Historic Event

BOSTON – Twenty-eight people of color from the Greater Boston area will comprise the first graduating class of the Initiative for Diversity in Civic Leadership (IDCL) on Monday, July 30, 2007, at Suffolk University Law School.

Governor Deval Patrick will be the keynote speaker, and Mayor Thomas M. Menino will deliver welcoming remarks.

The IDCL recently offered a 16-week training program at Suffolk University for current and aspiring political candidates, appointees, public servants and campaign staff. The program was divided into four distinct training tracks: Candidate Training, Public Administration, Adaptive Leadership and Public Policy. Each track combined skill-building exercises and briefings, with modules designed to enhance leadership capabilities.

The IDCL class reflected diversity across age, class, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, education, profession, and political affiliation. Sixty percent of the trainees were men, 40 percent were women. Their ages ranged from 22-60 years; they represented 11 countries; and they worked in the business sector, private sector, non-profit and government sectors. One participant is a medical doctor, while another is a grassroots activist. All are committed to public service.

One of the primary goals of the program was to build relationships that create and sustain community among aspiring and current leaders who are engaged in public life.

"This Initiative for Diversity in Civic Leadership program contributes to much-needed diversifying of government and campaigns,” said Giovanna Negretti, executive director of ¿Oíste?, the Latino Civic Education Initiative and lead managing partner of the IDCL.
“Within the next three years, these faces will be the next generation of public servants in places such as Boston, Chelsea, Cambridge, Somerville, and Framingham.”

April Taylor, a program graduate from Dorchester, said: “I now hope to pursue what matters most…a career in politics that is grounded, dedicated and committed to creating a diverse constellation of representative democracy for us all.”

Said Troy Huynh of Jamaica Plain: “We have a mission, a challenge before us: What can we do to better our Greater Boston, our home, our community? We have been provided with the tools. Let’s get to work!”

¿Oíste? was in charge of the overall administration of the program and curriculum development, while MassVOTE was mainly responsible for the development and implementation of the recruitment and admission process. Suffolk University provided the classroom space, administrative and academic support -- including lectures from a number of professors -- and assistance with curriculum development.

"It has been quite an opportunity to work with ¿Oíste? and MassVote to help prepare a diverse group for civic leadership,” said Suffolk University Government Professor Teri Fair. “All of the participants have worked hard and should be proud of what they have accomplished.
I am pleased that Suffolk University could be a part of this path-breaking initiative.”

The graduation will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, July 30, 2007, at Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont Street, Boston. Invited guests include elected officials, government appointees, funding representatives, distinguished educators, and business and community leaders.

Funding for the IDCL program was provided by The Boston Foundation, The New Community Fund, The Herman and Frieda L. Miller Foundation, The Hyams Foundation, Access Strategies Fund and The Jobin-Leeds Partnership for Democracy and Education, LLC.

The mission of the IDCL is to develop a new generation of leaders of color committed to public service in order to ensure a more representative democracy and a diverse civic community in Greater Boston. The IDCL will provide education and training opportunities to enable individuals from diverse political backgrounds to successfully run for elective office, manage and run political campaigns and serve in all levels of government. read more »

All About BPS Blog

Social Capital Inc. — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 14:06:32 -0600

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All About BPS is a new blog published by the Communications Office to keep families, staff, and the community informed about the BPS. Bookmark it at www.all aboutbps.blogspot.com , and check back often for the latest news and information. read more »