Government

Sen. Miranda and Rep. Montaño Share Opinions on Rent Control

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After the Boston City Council voted in support of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's rent control plan, that put the home-rule petition in the fate of the state Legislature. The plan would tie rent increases to inflation with a cap of 10% for Boston apartments. The plan exempts smaller landlords and units in buildings less than 15 year olds, and about 55% of Boston's 313,000 rental units would be affected if it becomes law, according to WBUR. With the measure now at the State House, it's important to know what state legislators think about it. Previously, Massachusetts voted to ban rent control in 1994, which is why a home-rule petition is required to make it law.

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Development

Three Jamaica Plain Projects Receiving Funding for Income-Restricted Units

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Mayor Michelle Wu joined the Hyde Square Task Force in Jamaica Plain at the site of the former Blessed Sacrament Church to announce $67 million in new recommended funding to create and preserve more than 800 income-restricted units of housing in eight Boston neighborhoods. Three of the 17 projects selected to receive funding are located in Jamaica Plain. All of the proposed projects meet the city's standards for zero-emissions buildings and represent transit-oriented, green development. The three JP projects include:

Pennrose Development and the Hyde Square Task Force will redevelop the former Blessed Sacrament Church with $6,250,000 in funding. The development team will create 55 mixed-income units of rental housing and a new performance space for the Hyde Square Task Force Creative Arts Program.

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Government

Marty Walsh Leaving Biden Cabinet to Lead NHL Players Union

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In 10 years time, Marty Walsh went from being a state rep to Boston's mayor, to Secretary of Labor in President Biden's cabinet, and now he will head up the NHL Players Association. Representing the NHL Players Association seems to be a great fit for Walsh. Walsh joined the Laborers' Union Local 223 at 21 and served as the union's president from his time in the state legislature, starting in 1997 until he became mayor in 2014. When Walsh was sworn-in for his second mayoral term, it was former Vice President Joe Biden who swore him in. Their relationship led to Biden tapping Walsh to be labor secretary.

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Government

Boston Celebrates First Electric School Buses

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Forty-two different schools have been selected to have some of their students ride the first electric schools buses in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) school bus fleet. Mayor Michelle Wu and other city personnel celebrated the arrival of the first two electric school buses on Feb. 6. Eighteen more buses will be coming to Boston in the coming weeks and are expected to be used following the February school vacation, according to a press release. “I’m grateful to the many people who have been instrumental in getting Boston to this point and helping us demonstrate the many overlapping benefits of moving to a green economy and ensuring that our kids and our workforce are at the center of that transition,” said Wu.

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Government

President Biden Signs Lynch Bill to Honor American Heroes of Benghazi Attack

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President Joe Biden signed legislation sponsored by U.S. Representative Stephen Lynch (MA-08) to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to the four Americans killed in Benghazi, Libya in 2021. Specifically, the bill awards the Congressional Gold Medal to U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens; U.S. Navy Seal and C.I.A. security contractor, Glen Doherty; U.S. Navy Seal and C.I.A. security contractor, Tyrone Woods; and U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant and State Department Officer, Sean Smith. “After more than a decade of collective effort in support of this important legislation, I am proud that [the bill] has been signed into law by President Biden,” said Lynch via press release. “The enactment of this bill would not have been possible without the family members, pro bono counsel, and other stakeholders who relentlessly advocated on behalf of our four fallen heroes - in recognition of their bravery, service, and sacrifice. “There is no legacy more lasting and profound than the bravery and sacrifice of those who have stood in defense of our nation,” said Lynch.  “After more than a decade since the terrorist attack in Benghazi, it is more than fitting that we bestow the Congressional Gold Medal on the four fallen American heroes who bravely defended our compound and dedicated their lives to service on behalf of the United States of America.”
Since the Revolutionary War, Congress has bestowed the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of distinguished acts of bravery, leadership, and achievement that leave an enduring impact on American history.

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City Services

Restoring Historic Structures, Improving Access, Cultural and Recreational Spaces and More Part of Franklin Park Action Plan

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Mayor Michelle Wu announced the release of the new Franklin Park Action Plan, a 230-page report that provides a vision for the future of the 527-acre park. Already the city wants the public to share their perspectives on the plan and community priorities among many projects related to restoring historic structures, improving access for all transportation modes, dedicated spaces for cultural and recreational purposes, and ecological considerations. The plan can be viewed on the Franklin Park Action Plan website along with a form to capture feedback during the 60-day comment period that ends on February 10, 2023. The plan’s recommendations include the following:

Restoring and activating the Bear Dens with new uses;
Reintroducing the Elma Lewis Playhouse to the Overlook with a new stage, restrooms, and seating;
Upgrading active spaces like trails, play areas, athletic fields, and picnic sites;
Creating a welcoming “front porch” for the Blue Hill Avenue entrance at Peabody Circle with terraced seating;
Rehabilitating the landscape of the park by removing invasive plants, cutting back vegetation to reveal the park’s sweeping vistas, and planting new native species and trees. The plan said that "abundant entrances" serve the Jamaica Plain community, that feed people to numerous spaces with active and passive uses, including the Playstead and White Stadium, El Parquesito Playground, Glen Road, and The Wilderness.

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Coronavirus

Two Jamaica Plain Child Care Centers Receive American Rescue Plan Act Funds

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Twenty-one Boston child care centers, including two in Jamaica Plain, are receiving funds dedicated to supporting child care centers and essential workers who work non-traditional hours. In Jamaica Plain, the Shattuck Child Care Center and Wee Care JP Childcare Center are two grantees receiving funds from the city's Office of Early Childhood totaling $5,600,000 that are part of Boston’s equitable and sustainable recovery from the COVID-19, and are funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). “Investing in a robust and accessible childcare system is an investment in our collective future,” said Mayor Michelle Wu via press release. “With this grant, we can support childcare centers to expand their services for our essential workers, and provide better opportunities for childcare workers who serve as the backbone of youth development.”

Grantees will receive immediate compensation relief to child care workers to provide higher wages, hiring and retention bonuses, and other compensation incentives, according to a press release. Child care centers will also look to address low wages by receiving training and technical assistance to develop a compensation plan for their business that raises teacher pay to a minimum of $22 per hour by 2025.

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Environment

You Are No Longer Allowed to Throw Mattresses Out in Trash

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Starting November 1, Massachusetts residents are no longer allowed to throw mattresses out with the trash. More than 600,000 mattresses and boxsprings are discarded annually in the commonwealth, according to mass.gov.

"They are expensive to transport, hard to compact, take up lots of landfill space, and can damage incinerator processing equipment. Yet mattresses are made up mostly of recyclable materials. Once disassembled, more than 75 percent of their components can be reused. This is better for the environment, the economy, and municipal waste management budgets," states mass.gov.

Not sure what you can do with your mattress?

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Letter: Jamaica Plain Civic Associations Oppose DCR’s Selection for Arborway Project

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The following letter was sent to Stephanie Cooper, the Acting Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation. As chairs of the Jamaica Pond Association and of the Jamaica Hills Association through whose jurisdictions runs the entire Arborway from the Eliot Street intersection to and through Kelley Circle and to and through Murray Circle, we write to advise the DCR of the united opposition of the Jamaica Pond Association and the Jamaica Hills Association to DCR’s “Preferred Alternative” (Alt 4) for its Arborway Project and of our united support for Alternative 1. We oppose Alternative 4 and strongly support Alternative 1 because Alternative 1:

Eliminates the possible construction of two major, wide, signalized intersections in the park;
Protects against the build-up of air pollution caused by motor vehicles idling day and night at traffic signals at Kelley Circle and Murray Circle;
Allows for easier vehicular access outbound into the Eliot StreetBurroughs Street Pondside neighborhood;
Allows for the reestablishment of a two-lane roadway between Murray Circle and Forest Hills eliminating the present bottlenecks approaching Murray
Provides clearly designated pedestrian and bicycle crossings at Murray and Kelley Circles;
Removes far fewer trees than either Alternatives 3 and 4;
Allows Moss Hill residents direct access to the JP Business District and to travel to the Medical Area and to downtown Boston; and,
Our goal is to keep the parkway as a parkway. We ask that you meet with representatives of our associations so that we might discuss with you our opposition to Alternative 4 and our support for Alternative 1. Very Truly Yours,

Kay Mathews
Chair, Jamaica Pond Association

Andrea Howley
Chair, Jamaica Hills Assocation

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Government
Southwest Corridor Park between Green and Stony Brook stations, April 2014

Mass Ave to Forest Hills: State Making Southwest Corridor Park Safety and Accessibility Enhancements

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The Department of Conservation and Recreation began making safety and accessibility enhancements along the Southwest Corridor from Massachusetts Avenue to Forest Hills on Monday. The paths will still be rideable and walkable. The scope of work will include improvements to asphalt paths, repairs to concrete path segments, and intersection improvements, including removal of cobblestones. Crews will work on the corridor as late as the construction season allows due to weather. There will be detours and one path will remain open on dual-path segments, and users can walk on adjacent sidewalk on single-path segments.

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