Dear CSHCA Members,

For those of you who haven't heard the news yet or didn't attend the last civic meeting, Gretchen and I are purchasing a condominium in Dorchester. This brings with it both good news and bad news. The good news is that if all goes as planned, we are hoping to move into our new place within a few weeks of our closing date. The bad news however, is that the condo is in Fields Corner and we have our closing scheduled for Friday, April 28.

Personally, having spent over half of my life in Savin Hill, it will be tough moving down Dorchester Avenue into Fields Corner. Savin Hill has always been and continues to be a great neighborhood and I know I can speak for Gretchen too when I say we will both miss it, and our neighbors very much.

On a positive note this is our very first home and that we are grateful to be able to stay not only in Boston, but also in Dorchester, the place we can continue to call our home.

It has been an honor to be a part of the association for over thirteen years and to serve the CSHCA on so many different committees. I have been a past Recording Secretary, Webmaster for the last four years or so, and the Vice President and chair of the By-Laws Committee for these last two years. Gretchen served as the Recording Secretary for a year and has served on many committees over the past four or five years that she has been a part of the CSHCA. We have accomplished so much in Savin Hill over these years.

The association is in the midst of electing new officers (May meeting) and the position of President has one again been nominated by the committee and accepted by Bob Donovan. Having served as Bob's Vice President for the past two years, you are in truly capable hands under his leadership. Bob has always worked tirelessly on behalf of the association and the membership should feel honored that he wants to continue to lead the association forward. The position of Vice President has been nominated and accepted by Bob O' Sullivan. Bobby O' is a former Vice President and I know he will do a great job for the civic. The last few items left on my plate is the finishing up the by-laws and finding a new Webmaster for the CSHCA website.

As I have stated in the past, the by-laws are the heart and soul of any organization and you can't run a well-structured organization without them. The CSHCA is no exception as we have all seen at our meetings over the last few months. A big thank you should go out to all the committee members that have spent so much of their time reviewing each and every section to make the necessary changes. I have made a personal commitment to this association as the By-Laws Chair and will continue to manage the committee, unless there is any opposition, until the work is complete and ready for the general membership's review. My goal is to have the improved set of by-laws for the members to take home at the June meeting for review over the summer and then come back after the hiatus in the fall for voting.

The CSHCA site is in need a new Webmaster. The Association will be looking for a member to step up and fill this position. I will continue to work on the web when I can, but I am hopeful we will have a replacement as soon as possible. My time will be limited for the next month or so, and having somebody else to take this over would be a big help. If there are any CSHCA members with HTML experience willing to take on the website, please let me know ASAP.

Gretchen and I will continue to remain active community leaders in Dorchester, together working on the Dorchester Day Parade Committee, The Holiday Tree Lighting Committee, and getting involved with the civic association in Fields Corner.

We would like to personally thank each and every one of you for all your friendships over the years and all the hard work you have put into CSHCA. We look forward to working with you all in the community in the future.

Sincerely,

Ed Geary Jr. and Gretchen Carney