CSHCA Meeting Minutes – June 5, 2023

President: Elizabeth Doyle
Vice-President and Host: Eileen Boyle
Minutes: Doreen Miller
Guests: Amanda Kay Loring, Boston Collegiate Charter School; Aiden Nguyen, Eversource; Matt Patton, Candidate for City Council District 3; John Fitzgerald, Candidate for City Council District 3

Number in attendance: 45 (on Zoom); 11 (in person)

Police Report (Officer Mike Keaney)

• May 7, 5:43 PM. A car was weaving with no signals in traffic on Columbia Road. After pulling it over, police discover the barrel of a gun between the front seats – a 380 caliber loaded with 6 rounds and one in the chamber with an obliterated serial number. The male and female were arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. The male had been released from prison two months earlier after having served time for a shooting.
• May 17, 12:50 AM, 79 Pleasant Street. There was a report of a suspicious person in a black hoodie opening the blinds to the window. A search of the area found someone matching the description, but there was insufficient evidence for arrest. Police completed an FIO (Field Interrogation and Observation).
• May 27, 371 Savin Hill Avenue between 2:15-2:40 PM.  A breaking and entering (B+E) was reported. Two gold rings and prescription drugs were stolen.
• No arrests on Dorchester Day at the parade – a quiet day.
• Be sure to screw in AC units into the window frame to prevent possible entry for a B+E as units can easily be pushed into the room.
• Questions and Concerns from the membership:
  • A member raised concerns of the homicide by Washington Street and Columbia Road.
  • There was a shooting in Southie from a stolen car with R.I. plates. Three kids were grabbed in the South End, but no gun was found as there was ample opportunity to ditch it.
  • Yesterday, June 4, there were a half dozen police cars between Savin Hill Lane and Evandale Terrace investigating reports of shots heard. The report initially came from Sudan Street and police were directed to the Savin Hill bridge and further into Savin Hill OTB. No one in the area heard anything.

Amanda Kay Loring, Chief Operating Officer at Boston Collegiate Charter School (BCC)

• Amanda brought us up to date on the planned projects over the summer.
• The roof needs major repair work.
• The bricks need to be repointed.
  • They are collaborating with the MBTA on time frames to work on the area of the building next to the tracks.
  • Work will begin the week of June 19.
  • There is the possibility of traffic shut-downs and detours.
  • Weekly updates will be sent to neighbors. They are creating a listserve to notify people of the work to be done and the timeframe. If you wish to be on this list, send a request with your email to Amanda Kay Loring: aloring@bostoncollegiate.org
• There was a question regarding the billboard. It is staying as BCC does not own it.

Aiden Nguyen, Eversource Andrew Square to Dewar Street Project

• The work along Morrissey Boulevard has been completed.
• The work through Savin Hill and in the South Boston area is still slated for completion once permits come through.
• The completion date of the project is the end of 2024.
• For more information, visit the website.
• Outreach to the neighbors takes place via
  • Door Hangers
  • Emails
  • Neighborhood meetings
  • In-field Outreach Specialist
• What to expect during construction:
  • The project team will be working with the BPD on traffic management plans.
  • Driveways and pathways for emergency vehicles will be accessible at all times.
  • Work will take place M-F, 7 AM – 6 PM.
• Tree Removal along Springdale Street on the slope leading to the Motley Condos.
  • Approximately 66 trees will be removed and replaced with native species, including red maple, scarlet oak, pin oak, eastern red cedar, double file viburnum, green giant arborvitae, and leucothoe.
  • Eversource will be responsible for caring for them for two years post planting.
  • This will not impact access to McConnell Park.
  • It should take about 7 days to complete.
  • Work hours will be M-F, from 7 AM-6 PM.
• Contacts for this project:

CSHCA Elections for Officers and E-Board Members

• As there were no contested slots, a motion was made and seconded to vote on the two slates as a whole.
  • Officers:
    • President: Elizabeth Doyle
    • Vice-President: Eileen Boyle
    • Treasurer: Des Rohan
    • Recording Secretary: Doreen Miller
    • IT Manager: Taufiq Dhanani
      • 36 voted to support; 1 abstained
  • Executive Board Mmbers:
    • Donna Blythe-McColgan
    • David Butler
    • Marta Carney
    • Michael Keamy
    • Heidi Moesinger
      • 37 voted to support

Updates from City Liaison Ross Cochran

• There are a lot of upcoming abutters meetings for development – mostly small projects.
• He will keep CSHCA in the loop.
• Members voiced concerns about
  • A homeless encampment under the bridge at JFK station with people defecating in public. Ross will reach out to the homeless commission to secure and clear the area.
  • The staff at the Boston Collegiate Charter School (BCC) park their cars next door and have problems with the homeless and trash. BCC is currently paying to have someone clean the area. Ross will get them a city contact for getting the area cleaned.

Matthew Patton, Candidate for City Council District 3

• Matt lives on Savin Hill Avenue with his wife and children.
• He is an attorney for workers’ rights.
•  He overcame learning disabilities thanks to city services and programs.
• His platform is focusing on:
  • The Boston Public Schools – they need to be improved and provide equal opportunity for all segments of the city. Funding is critical. Non-profits need to step up to the plate to pay their fair share in taxes that fund city services. Teachers need to be given the resources they need to teach.
  • The Housing Crisis –  people who work in Boston should be able to afford to live here.
  • Development – Communities should drive the communication. Civic associations need to band together to tackle the same issues across our area and make our voices heard. He promises to stand by and be a voice for the community needs and quality of life.
  • With all this development and added density, the city needs to focus on improving infrastructure.
    • Savin Hill is a cut through from Morrissey to Dorchester Ave. Traffic will only get worse, especially with a decrepit T system. The state and city need to step up to fully fund and fix the problems at the T.
  • Member concerns include
    • The proposed development at Dorchester Bay City and along Morrissey with Center court – too much density and height. We are not given a seat at the table for discussions on development.
    • Speeding cars that cut through the neighborhood – One neighbor recently witnessed a near head on collision on Savin Hill Avenue in the “village” district due to a speeding car. Another woman in a crosswalk was hit by a car in 2019. Councilor Frank Baker was pushing for raised intersections and slow street initiatives for our area, but the city continues to ignore us.

John Fitzgerald, Candidate for City Council District 3

• John grew up in Mission Hill and has been living with his wife and children in Dorchester for about 10 years.
• He worked at City Hall for 17 years at the BRA, working with Article 80 and overseeing over 100 projects.
• His platform is focusing on:
  • The Public School System and improving education by making better use of the funds available. The best public schools have the strongest parent-teacher associations. We need to invest in upgrading facilities/buildings, improving teacher pay rates, and developing strong parent-teacher associations.
  • Public Safety
  • Responsible Development – He recognizes the need for new growth to maintain basic city services. There should be no development for the sake of development. We need more comprehensive level development. He would be involved in brokering deals between the developers and the neighborhoods. The community should determine how community benefit money is spent. Associations should enter into cooperative agreements with developers in which stipulations are codified. There should be follow-up to hold developers to their commitments.
  • Quality of Life – The nuts and bolts of everyday life need to be tended to – streets, sidewalks, signage, safety, etc.
  • Recreating a Sense of Community – We have lost a sense of community and common goals. He wants to bring back “fun” into our lives, which gets people involved and invested, and ultimately gets people to stay.
• Members concerns include:  
  • The Mass and Cass homeless situation.
    • He says district 3 includes the islands, so that we have the problem and the solution at hand.
    • The BPDA owns a lot of property that could be utilized.
    • We need a comprehensive city plan to address the problem. No one neighborhood should bear the brunt of this problem.
  • The massive development coming to our area. We have no seat at the table and our needs are being ignored. We need a strong city councilor who will be our voice.

June 10 Clean-up, Surfrider and UMB Urban Harbors Institute (Katrina Martin)

• It will take place from 10 AM – 1 PM. Come at any point during this time to the parking lot at Malibu Beach off Morrissey Boulevard for supplies and tools.
• Surfrider collects data on the trash picked up to support community science and policy efforts.
• DCR will be taking away the garbage.
• If there are any returnable bottles, people are welcome to take them to be redeemed for cash.
• Mayor Wu has been invited.
• Thirty people have signed up so far. Please consider joining the effort as the area is large and includes Pattens Cove, the shoreline behind the Vietnam Memorial and along Morrissey, and Savin Hill and Malibu Beaches.
• More information can be found on the CSHCA website calendar.

Planning Committee Project Votes (Kristine Hoag)

• 86 Grampian Way –  Maureen Marotta (owner) and Shane Losi (architect) presented their plan for a 3^rd floor dormer in the rear of the home to turn the current two bedrooms into a master bedroom with a full bathroom and small balcony. The membership voted unanimously to support this project.

• Southline is seeking ZBA zoning relief of an educational and training use on their property. Jennifer Schultz talked about
  • A training center for biolabs certification – no advanced degrees. Mass Bio and Beacon Partnership’s Bio-versity hosting 10-16 programs for GED or HS degrees. Their goal is to graduate 100 students with these certificates.
  • A nursing program from a local public university.
  • Southline hosting space for non-profit use does not change their city tax liability.
  • A vote was taken limiting the use of Southline to 30% educational.
    • Support: 16
    • Opposed: 3
    • Abstain: 1

Committee Reports

• Events Committee – The latest meeting was postponed and will take place tomorrow evening, 6/6 at 6:30 PM. The zoom link is on the CSHCA calendar.
• Safety Committee  
  • There is a new program called Safety Surge, which promises to add speed humps throughout the city and change some of the initiatives for Slow Streets. They reached out to Ross Cochran to help with this. Savin Hill and Grampian Way need attention by the park area. We should also include the business district by Sydney Street.
  • Rep. Dan Hunt is working on getting the gate installed at McConnell Park. It is currently out for contract.
  • There is still one tent left at the National Grid site. There should be updates at the next meeting.
• Beautification Committee
  • The plant sale was successful with a profit of over $500.
  • Most buyers were people walking by. We were disappointed that there were not more faces from the CSHCA.
• Community Benefits –  no updates as Don Walsh could not make the meeting.
• Planning Committee
  • 164 Savin Hill Avenue – there is a 7 PM abutters’ meeting tomorrow night. Check Kristine’s planning agenda.
  • Upcoming on the agenda:
    • 33 and 37 Pearl Street
    • 889 Dorchester Avenue, 6/13, 7 PM abutters’ meeting
    • 67-71 Sydney street slated for demolition. One house is historic – it was the carriage house for the Tuttle Hotel.
  • Come to the planning meetings in the summer to vote on projects. The new by-laws stipulate that during the summer all paid members can vote on projects at the planning meetings for a “final vote” as general membership meetings do not happen in July and August.

Other

• There are new traffic lights on Hancock and Pleasant Street. Traffic is backing up a lot. The timing on these lights will be adjusted in the coming days.
• Elizabeth Doyle is meeting with the Dorchester Reporter about the bridge work at Savin Hill T station. Please email her with concerns so she can bring them to this interview.