January 2005


Items that missed the printed issue:
The CSHCA E-Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 18th at the Little House. The meeting will be at 7 p.m.


Holiday Party Thank You's
The Columbia-Savin Hill Civic Association wishes to thank the following folks and businesses who helped and contributed to make our 12/6/2004 Holiday Party a successful one:

The Banshee • Eagle Liquors • Doug Bossee/Old Town Real Estate • The Avenue Grille • Lamberts • At Home Real Estate • Larry Baker/Priority Parking • Marlea Mesh • Coleen's • Gifts by Gretchen • Creative Wrappings • Gail Hobin/UMass • Victorian Realty • Mary McCarthy • Arthur Donovan/CF Donovan's • Lee Myles Transmissions • Venice Pizza • Bayside Expo Center • Bob Donovan • Ed Geary, Jr. • Paul Nutting • Joe Chaisson • Daniel Donovan

Happy Holidays


Parks on The Point Update
You may have noticed that the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has begun construction of the West Link Park, directly behind the Bayside Expo Center. According to Bob Diramio, engineer with the DCR, the project started in September and will be completed by March of 2006. During the 18-month construction, the contractor has committed to providing access between Mother's Rest and HarborPoint. Please let me know if anyone has problems negotiating this area, as this was one of the conditions I requested and was granted as part of the Conservation Commission approval process.

This park is one of the last missing links of the HarborWalk along the Dorchester Bay harborfront, hence its name. The final link is termed the east link, which runs between the southern end of HarborPoint to the JFK Library. For many years, and as recently as October, I have pushed officials at Umass and the DCR to at least define where the public realm will be along the east link, to no avail. Also in this vicinity, you may have seen or heard about the new Corcoran/Jennison (CJ) apartment building under construction at the end of Mount Vernon Street called The Peninsula. Two years ago, as the designated representative of our group, I spoke at the BRA hearing in favor of this project, if a few conditions were considered. One of them would have had CJ partner with Umass to reroute their shuttle bus system along Mt. Vernon St. (as the busses are now traveling to the new Student Center and drive right by the end of Mt Vernon) to make it a peninsula wide system. The company deemed this too expensive. The other condition that I hope will be met would be the enhancement and maintenance of the walkway between Mt. Vernon St. and the Harborwalk. This would be a benefit to all of us, but considering that there is no onsite exterior space for the hundreds of residents at the Peninsula, this will be the most logical route for them to the HarborWalk. Hopefully this betterment will be carried out.
~Paul Nutting


E-Lert - Your Comments Needed
The Dorchester Reporter, the Boston Police, and DotWell (a partnership of Codman Square Health Center and Dorchester House), started a pilot project called E-Lert in July. The idea is to get information on preventable crimes out into a neighborhood by email on a timely basis, add a few crime tips, and see if it makes a difference. The project has been operating for nearly six months in Columbia-Savin Hill, and now it's time to evaluate it and see if it's worth continuing, expanding to the rest of Dorchester or the City, or ending it.

As the person who goes through the data and categorizes it, I have noticed a few things about our neighborhood:
• crime seems to go up as it gets colder;
• most of the crime in this neighborhood is automotive (hit & run, breaks into cars, and stolen cars) or house breaks;
• most of this crime is preventable with some common sense approaches (fix broken street lights, light up places where you keep your car, lock your windows, etc.);
• almost all the violent crime is domestic violence;
• there are crime trends - several house breaks or auto thefts will often occur in the same area over a short period of time;
• there are sections of the neighborhood which are almost never locations where crime occurs, and areas which are constantly crime locations;
• it is possible to take action to avoid crime - there were several robberies in the first week of December, which is predictable with the coming of the holiday season. With a bit of vigilance, you can avoid becoming the next victim.

Those are some of my lessons. If you are part of E-Lert, did you learn anything? Was it helpful? Did it make a difference in the way you think? Did you notice problems more readily (like street lights being out)? Did you take action?

Please forward your thoughts to me at wwalczak@codman.org. Thanks for your help.
~Bill Walczak


Edward Everett Square Update
The Re-Designing Edward Everett Square / Final Design Community Review Meeting was held on Monday December 13th from 6 - 8 p.m. at the Plumbers Union, 1230 Massachusetts Avenue, Dorchester. John McColgan, Edward Everett Square Project Community Chair, called the meeting to order at 6:18 p.m. Introductions of City and Community project team members were made, followed by the agenda for the meeting. The content of this meeting and the resolutions are summarized as follows. Detailed meeting minutes have not been submitted as of this writing, 12/14/04.

First to present a brief overview of the art design element of this project was Project Artist Laura Baring-Gould. The group gathered around a model of the project parcel where Laura described the goals of the art aspect of the design, including an eight foot bronze Clapp Pear, and smaller bronze works to be placed on pedestals within the redesigned pedestrian area of the square. Laura can be contacted at laura@laurabaringgould.com for information on the various art elements. The second component of the re-design of the square was presented by Para Jayasinghe, City Engineer, Public Works Department, City of Boston. Mr. Jayasinghe discussed the urban design elements, and introduced the consultants from Edwards & Kelcey. Michael Dowhan, Landscape Architect, discussed the landscape component of the project, and Fayssal Husseini, Project Manager presented the traffic and lighting elements.

Discussions were conducted after each presentation and the following resolutions were made. A motion was taken to accept the art element as designed and presented this evening by Laura Baring-Gould from the Edward Everett Square Re-Design Project. A second motion was made by Gloria Veira and votes in favor numbered all but two members of the audience. AFFIRIMATIVE: All. NEGATIVE: Andrew and Gelahun. A motion to accept the basic plan for the urban design, including both the landscape and traffic and lighting components, was made by Gavin Sherman. This motion was seconded by Betsy Meisner. AFFIRMITIVE: ALL. NEGATIVE: Andrew and Gelahun. Liz Carney formally proposed an amendment to the second motion and proposed additional lighting in the area between KFC and Store 24. Richard Tyson seconded this amendment, an "amendment to motion an amendment on the urban design, to " include advising the City to have adequate lighting in area near KFC". AFFIRMITIVE: ALL.

Jarasinghe announced that construction is set to begin in April of 2005 and should take about six months.

The meeting was adjourned at 8 p.m.
~ Ellen Berkland


Little House Happenings - January

The Little House Teen Recreation Sports Leagues
They start up in January for ages 11-18. Co-ed membership is only $10.00 for the year.
Tuesdays: Basketball - ages 11-14 at 8 p.m. and ages 14-18 at 10 p.m.
Wednesdays:Arena Flag Football - ages 11-15 from 6-8 p.m. and Floor Hockey - ages 14-18 from 8-10 p.m.
Fridays: Floor Hockey - ages 11-15 from 6-8 p.m.

Teen Ski 2005
Open to ages 11-18. Four one day trips starting in January. For information contact Randy or John at LH (617-282-2180) Tuesday - Friday noon to 9:30 p.m..

Support Our Local Businesses who Support the CSHCA!

Below is a list of the Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association's Merchant Members. The folks who run these businesses support us and have invested in our community. Please extend the same support to them by shopping in their stores, eating in their restaurants, and seeking their services.

A Hohmann Oil Co. Inc.	1146 Dorchester Avenue
Anna's Bakery, Inc.	1035 Dorchester Avenue
At Home Real Estate Group	109 Savin Hill Avenue
Avenue Auto Wholesales, Inc.	1121 Dorchester Avenue
The Banshee Pub	934 Dorchester Avenue
Bayside Exposition Center	200 Mt. Vernon Street
Best Liquors	1088 Dorchester Avenue
The Boston Globe	135 Morrissey Blvd.
C.F. Donovan's Restaurant	120 Savin Hill Avenue
Coleen’s Flower Shop	912 Dorchester Avenue
Corcoran Jennison Mgmt	150 Mt. Vernon Street
Creative Wrappings	22 Carson Street
Dorchester Avenue Auto Repair	887 Dorchester Avenue
Dorchester Tire Service, Inc.	1160 Dorchester Avenue
Dorchester Market	951 Dorchester Avenue
Gately Insurance Co.	983A Dorchester Avenue
The Harp & Bard Restaurant	1099 Dorchester Avenue
Lee Myles Transmission	1110 Dorchester Avenue
Lee's Store & Bakery	982 Dorchester Avenue
McKenna’s Café	113 Savin Hill Avenue
Murphy Funeral Home	1020 Dorchester Avenue
Nash’s Pub	1154 Dorchester Avenue
NEALCO Environmental Svcs.	5 Caspian Way
Old Towne Real Estate	651 Gallivan Blvd.
P. Gioioso & Sons Construction	50 Sprague Street, Hyde Park (BWS project)
Pat Jay’s Pharmacy	940 Dorchester Avenue
Restaurante Laura	688 Columbia Road
Savin Hill Variety	110 Savin Hill Avenue
Shanti Restaurant	1111 Dorchester Avenue
SPIRE Printing	65 Bay Street
Sports Lab	1152 Dorchester Avenue
Venice Pizza	39 Savin Hill Avenue
Victorian Realty	1859 Dorchester Avenue
Vina Realty/MSC Travel	988 Dorchester Avenue

Merchant Memberships are $25.00 a year. Please note that this is a non-voting membership. If interested in becoming a Merchant Member please print out and complete the membership form at the bottom of this online newsletter and forward with your check in the amount of $25.00 made payable to the Columbia-Savin Hill Civic Association. We will list all Merchant Members each month in our newsletter. Funds will be used towards neighborhood improvement projects/activities.


Website Resources
Check us out on our website for resources and community links. Local non-profits and neighborhood crime watches have a free link on this website.


Free Hatha Yoga Class For The Community
Free Hatha yoga classes continue in Codman Square on Thursday nights from 6:30 - 8pm. Sponsored by the Codman Square Health Center, and taught by certified Integral Yoga instructor, Bhishman, the classes are held in the Great Hall at the corner of Talbot and Washington St. Entry is through the front door.

Open to participants of all levels, including beginners, the class incorporates a gentle, meditative style of yoga. This class has been meeting in the Codman Square neighborhood for more than 15 years, first at the library and now in the Great Hall. We would like to welcome back all our old friends, and invite any members of the community to come experience the benefits of yoga.

Participants should wear loose comfortable clothing, and bring a mat for the wood floor. It is best to refrain from eating several hours before the class begins.

For further information, call Alicia at 617-282-6722 or email alicia@night-kitchen.com


CSHCA Meeting - Childcare Offering
At our general meetings we offer free childcare for our membership and guests. Please bring along any personal items that your child may need during the course of the evening. It is advised that you arrive on the early side to give your child some time to adjust and settle in. Our childcare attendant for this year is Sylvi Naci.


Thanks Neighbor
I would like to say thanks to our neighbor, Justin Woolacott of 98 Pleasant Street, who on the morning of December 2nd, observed some kids breaking into a house on Deer St. He called 911 and the police showed up and arrested two kids. If it wasn't for Justin's heads up call they would likely have gotten away with the crime.
~Bing Broderick


Newsletter Submissions
Do you have you something that you'd like to share in "The Neighbors"? We welcome all appropriate submissions. Letters to the Editor, write-ups about a neighborhood event, local announcements, committee reports...etc. Please keep your written text on the short side, several paragraphs in length, and single spaced. We reserve the right to edit all submissions for clarity and or due to space constraints. Call (617) 282-1277 or email janderson@uusc.org

Our deadline for the next newsletter is January 25, 2005.


Appreciations
Many Thanks to SPIRE and UMass for their copying and mailing assistance!!!

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CSHCA Membership Renewal/Application for Membership
Please keep current with your annual membership dues if you wish to remain a voting member in good standing and continue to receive a copy of the newsletter, "The Neighbors". NOTE: Check address label for your membership expiration date. It would be greatly appreciated if your memberships were renewed early.

CSHCA Annual Memberships are only $5 per person ($25 Merchant Sponsor - non-voting member) Checks can be made payable to: CSHCA

Simply print out the form below and give with payment to our Treasurer, Nora McDonnell at our next meeting or mail to:

CSHCA Membership
c/o Ms. Nora McDonnell, CSHCA Treas.
7 Buttonwood Court
Dorchester, MA 02125

Individual membership(s) ____
Merchant Sponsor _____


Name(s): ____________________________________________

Street: _____________________________ Apt: __________

City/Town: ___________________________ State: _____

Postal Code: ____________

Phone: ______________________________

Email: ______________________________

Merchant Sponsor Name: _____________________________

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The Little House Food Pantry
At our monthly meetings the CSHCA collects non-perishable food, toiletries and household cleaning items to donate to The Little House Food Pantry. We place a collection basket at the sign in desk. Thanks so much !!!


50 / 50 Raffle
The CSHCA runs a 50/50 raffle at eachof our general meetings. Tickets are only $1 each and three for $2. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the front desk when signing in. The winning ticket will be drawn at the conclusion of the meeting. Please participate and good luck!!!


Dorchester Recycling Coalition
To receive your FREE blue recycling bin or for more information about how to recycle call (617) 635-4959.



© 2005 Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association