June 2005

Items that missed the printed issue:
Honorary Mayor of Dorchester David Crowley has been invited to our general meeting. We hope that he can attend.


50 / 50 Raffle
The CSHCA runs a 50/50 raffle at each of 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!!!


Click Here for CSHCA Beautification Committee Updates


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 so as to give your child some time to adjust and settle in. Our childcare attendant for this year is Sylvi Naci and we wish to give a tip of the hat to her for her dedication and smiles from the little ones! Well done Silvi !


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 !!!


JFK Station Crime Issues
At the previous civic meeting, Bill Walczak brought up an issue about a spike in crime around JFK Station. The concern Ed Geary Jr. was hearing the most was a lack of lighting in the area. He went to the back of JFK station one night and sent a letter off to Molly Dunford regarding what he had seen. This might not fix all the lighting issues, but it is a step in the right direction. Click here for the letter to Molly Dunford and her response.


Dorchester Landing Day
May 28th will be Landing Day at McConnell Park in Savin Hill. For more information please call (617) 265-7802.


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
Alliance Auto Glass 902 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
Avenue Liquors 82 Savin Hill 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.
Brook's Pharmacy 1100 Dorchester Avenue
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
First Spine & Rehab 916 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
Olde Towne Real Estate 862 Dorchester Avenue
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.


Dorchester Day Parade
On behalf of the Dorchester Day Parade Committee, I would like to invite you all to come enjoy the 2005 Dorchester Day Parade. The parade will be held on Sunday, June 5th, 2005. The parade will commence at Lower Mills at 1 P.M.
Let's all hope for good weather !!!
~Ed Geary Jr.


Mayor of Dorchester has Savin Hill Roots
The honorary Mayor of Dorchester for 2005 is none other than Savin Hill's own David Crowley. David is a neighbor of ours and lives right here on Treadway Road. A big congratulations from the CSHCA goes out to him and his family!!! Good job David, and we hope you can visit us at the CSHCA during your tenure.
~Ed Geary Jr.


Book Author Coming to Dorchester
Just Call Me Moose! Growing Up Italian in America
From the prattle on the cobblestone streets of Dorchester, a working class neighborhood of Boston, to the harrowing jungles of Vietnam, an era comes alive in the newly published memoir "Just Call Me Moose! Growing up Italian in America".

Critics say his book is a powerful and poignant journey that takes the reader from the streets of Boston in the fifties to the jungles of Vietnam.

The book is published by Gondola Press (www.gondolapress.com) and is illustrated with 17 vintage photos.

The author will visit Boston during the annual Dorchester Day Celebration from 28th May to 7th June and hardcover signed books will be sold for $20 and a signed soft cover books will be $13.

Mr. Bossi will be stopping by to visit us at the Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association's general meeting on June 6th.
~Ed Geary Jr.


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 August 25, 2005.


Many Thanks to Spire and UMass for their printing and mailing of this newsletter !!!


Edward Everett Elementary School - Springfest
The 6th Annual Spring Festival will be held at the Edward Everett Elementary School, 71 Pleasant St, Dorchester, on Saturday June 11th from 1 - 4pm. Sponsored by the Friends of the Edward Everett Schoolyard and the School Parent Council, the free event brings together students, parents, teachers, friends and neighbors for an afternoon filled with music, crafts, and games. Throughout the day, students from every class will be performing on the mainstage under the direction of their music teachers, with a special performance of the Wind Ensemble from the Community Music Center of Boston. Other activities include Nature Tours, face painting, chess tournaments, beach ball volleyball, and Krazy Kraft art projects staffed by volunteers from the Dorchester Recycling Coalition. Business partner John Hancock will sponsor an exhibit from the New England Aquarium as well providing volunteers to run the other activities.

Pizza, drinks and cotton candy will be sold, as well as ethnic food from local vendors. At the Welcome table, visitors can buy a raffle ticket and the I love the Edward Everett Schoolyard lanyards. Funds raised from the event will go towards the ongoing maintenance and programming of the new schoolyard, and to support the School Parent Council.

For additional information, contact Alicia Zipp by email at Alicia@night-kitchen.com, or by phone at 617-282-6722.


Little House Travel Camp
This camp is an out of the city day camp for boys & girls between the ages of 6 and 12. Eight one week sessions, starting July 5th and going to Aug. 26th, 2005. The Monday to Friday hours are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Cost: $105.00 per session. Vouchers accepted. For more information call: John at (617) 282-2180


Click Here for the CSHCA Beautification Committee Curb Appeal Contest form in PDF format


Hazardous Waste Day - Heads UP
The City of Boston will be holding this collection event at UMass on Saturday, June 18th from 9 AM to 2 PM. Plan on getting there early that day for line of cars leading up to the drop off point can get long. Proof of Boston residency is required. No commercial waste will be accepted.


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



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: _____________________________

© 2005 Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association