March 2005

Items that missed the printed issue:

The Little House Happenings
The Little House Tiny Tots Program, for ages 2.9 to 5 years. Hours are 9 AM to 2 PM, Monday through Friday. Cost is $330 per month. On-going registration. For more info call Karen at 617-282-2180


Dorchester Day Celebrations Annual Kick-off Meatloaf Dinner
The start of Dorchester Festivities will kick off with the Annual Meatloaf Dinner at the First Parish Church on Meetinghouse Hill. The dinner will be held on Thursday, March 31st at 7 p.m. The dinner will also include readings from the Celebrations Committee Essay Contest winners and other entertainment. Tickets are $12 for Adults, $6 for kids and can be purchased at the door. For additional information please contact 617-287-0085.


Dorchester Parade 10K Drawing
The Dorchester Parade Committee is selling tickets for the Annual 10K Drawing. The tickets are selling for $100 each and this includes dinner the night of the drawing. The drawing will be held Thursday, April 28 at Florian Hall. This event is the primary source of funding for the Dorchester Day Parade so please consider purchasing a ticket. You may even walk away a big winner of the night! To purchase tickets please call 617-287-0085 or send a check payable to: Dorchester Day Parade Committee

The Dorchester Day Parade Committee
36 Parkman Street
Dorchester, MA 02122
~Ed Geary Jr.


Friends of Edward Everett Schoolyard
Interested friends and neighbors are cordially invited to attend the Spring Meeting of the Friends of the Edward Everett Schoolyard on Wednesday, March 23rd from 5:30 - 6:45 PM. We will be meeting in the school auditorium located at 71 Pleasant Street. The group is dedicated to maintaining and improving the gardens, woodlands and common spaces by encouraging participation by the community in the Annual Clean & Green Days and the Spring Festival. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Alicia Zipp @ 617-282-6722 or email: alicia@night-kitchen.com


Smells like ... ?
Has anyone sensed a foul odor in the vicinity of Dorchester Avenue, Savin Hill Avenue and the Auckland/Bay Street block? We plan to discuss this concern at our March 7th CSHCA general meeting. If there's enough interest we will set up a meeting to discuss a solution.
~Joe Chaisson

Click Here for CSHCA Beautification Committee Updates


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


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
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.
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.


Click here for the CSHCA St. William's Church Re-Use Committee Updates


5th Annual Upham's Corner Branch Library Pool Party
March 4th from 7 to 9 PM
Upham's Corner Branch Library
500 Columbia Road
Dorchester, MA 02125

Please join the Friends of the Upham's Corner Library for some delicious food, refreshments and great music. Proceeds from this annual fundraising event help us provide funding for books, videos, lecture series, story hour for toddlers, tutoring sessions and musical events at the library. If unable to attend please send a tax-deductible gift made payable to: "The Friends of Upham's Corner Library" to the above address. For more information call Bridget Curd @ 617-265-4232.


E-Lert
Auto crime seems to be increasing in February. Remember that cars are often stolen when they are left in dark areas, and broken into when there is something valuable visible through the window. Call those burned out street lights into City Hall! In addition, there were several unarmed robberies in February. The area near JFK/UMass Station is where many of these take place. Try not to walk alone, but if you have to, walk in the middle of the street. Some crime prevention experts recommend taking a whistle to blow if you believe you are going to be accosted.

The E-Lert system continues, with over 100 Columbia Savin Hill residents getting information on crime occurring in the neighborhood 2-3 times per week. You can sign up by sending an email to wwalczak@codman.org. Click here for a PDF of the incidents for February 10th - 21st.
~Bill Walczak


Dorchester Day Celebrations Committee Essay Contest
Click here for a flyer (in PDF format) of this year's essay contest sponsored by Mt. Washington Bank!!! The contest is open to all Dorchester children in the 5th thru 10th grade. The winners will receive $200.00 U.S. Savings Bonds.
~ Ed Geary Jr.


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.


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 !!!


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 March 23, 2005.



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: _____________________________

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!!!


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