City Services

Talk with Mayor Wu at Mozart Playground on Friday

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Mayor Michelle Wu Neighborhood Coffee Hours will bring her to Jamaica Plain's Mozart Playground on Friday from 9:30 to 10:30 am. The coffee hours is a mayoral tradition that provides a unique opportunity to speak directly with the mayor and staff from city departments such as the Boston Planning & Development Agency, Boston Transportation Department, and more. Come talk to the mayor about open space, bike lanes, composting, or does she like cats and/or dogs. As always, Dunkin’ will provide iced coffee, Munchkins, lawn games and gift card giveaways. Fresh fruit will be provided by Star Market, and each family in attendance will receive a free flowering plant provided by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, while supplies last.

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Development

Governor, Mayor Announcing State’s ’23 Affordable Housing Funding Awards Including JPNDC Low-Income Senior Housing Project

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Governor Maura Healey will be joined by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Wednesday in Jamaica Plain when the governor will announce the Commonwealth's affordable housing funds for 2023, including one JP project for low-income senior housing. Healey is making the announcement during a press conference at the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation's (JPNDC) Brewery Complex, where Wu will also deliver remarks. JPNDC will be receiving funding for two projects that will create 87 new affordable homes for low-income seniors, including 39 units at their project at 3371 Washington St. in Jamaica Plain.

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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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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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Neighborhood Life

Celebrate National Night Out at Mozart Park on August 1

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Join Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for free kids activities and more during National Night Out in Mozart Park on August 1. Wu will be joined by Boston Police Department and elected officials honoring Boston's neighborhood crime watches. There will be food, entertainment and more. There event is from 5 to 8 pm at Mozart Park (10 Mozart St.). National Night Out started in 1984 by bringing civic groups, community organizations, police, residents and more together.

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City Services

Centre Street Going Car-Free for One Day in July

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Jamaica Plain's Centre Street will be car-free for one day in July as part of the city's Open Streets events initiative. Centre Street from Lamartine Street (Jackson Square) to the Soldier's Monument (Centre and South streets) will be closed to vehicles from 9 am to 3 pm on Sunday, July 10. That's a 1.4 mile stretch. As part of the half-day event, there will be programming that could include music, games, face-painting, business and community group tabling, fitness classes, bicycle repairs, and more, according to a press release. There will also be a block party in collaboration with SEED in Hyde Square.

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Coronavirus

Boston Lifting Public Indoor Mask Order Effective March 5

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Boston will lift its indoor mask mandate effective March 5. State and federal mask orders are still in effect on public transportation, health care settings, and congregant care settings. Mayor Michelle Wu and Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health and Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission, made the announcement on Tuesday. Wu and Ojikutu cited improved COVID-19 metrics to explain why the mask mandate is being lifted. At a Tuesday meeting, Boston’s Board of Health voted unanimously to support Ojikutu's recommendation to rescind the order.

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Boston Public Schools

Boston Public Schools Superintendent to Resign at End of School Year

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Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius submitted her resignation on Monday to transition out of her role at the end of school year. "When I arrived in Boston in July 2019, I couldn’t have predicted that eight months later the world as we knew it would change. Since then we’ve confronted a global pandemic, reckoned with escalating racial division and civil unrest, and worked to repair community relationships that had eroded trust in our schools and confidence in our city," wrote Cassellius in her letter. "It is nothing short of remarkable that in the midst of it all we also developed a community-wide vision for equitable and excellent schools in every neighborhood of Boston; made historic steps forward in expanding access to our nation-leading exam schools; implemented a rigorous set of high graduation standards for every high school in the district with adoption of the MassCore; and put in place more just and transparent attendance, code of conduct, student privacy and grading policies." Cassellius thanked former Mayor Marty Walsh for hiring her, acting mayor Kim Kaney, and Wu in her letter.

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City Services

Boston Creates Office for Black Male Advancement; Black Men and Boys Commission Accepting Applications

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Frank Farrow will serve as the executive director of the newly formed Mayor’s Office for Black Male Advancement. Farrow will lead the office that seeks to ensure Black men and boys have support to thrive in Boston, announced Mayor Michelle Wu on Thursday. The new office will be part of the Equity and Inclusion Cabinet. Wu also announced that the Black Men and Boys Commission will be accepting new member applications through the end of the month. “I am honored and excited to lead the Office for Black Male Advancement, and to continue to uplift Black men and boys under Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration,” said Farrow.

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Environment

Bikes Not Bombs Receives $130,000+ City Grant for Green and Mobility Jobs

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Bikes Not Bombs recently received a city grant to green jobs and mobility training.  The grant is for $138,232. “With the city of Boston’s funding, Bikes Not Bombs will give Boston youth the opportunity for apprenticeship, skill building, and career development. BNB uses the bicycle as a vehicle for social change – and this funding will open the door for Black and marginalized Boston residents to achieve economic mobility, build relationships, and work towards a healthier Boston,” said Elijah Evans, Executive Director of Bikes Not Bombs via press release. Mayor Michelle Wu announced the recipients of Boston’s Catalyst Grants for Green Job and Mobility Training on Jan.

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