January 2022 Minutes

Wednesday, January 12, 2021 at 7PM 

Meeting Minutes

Welcome– Stephen McBride

Treasurer’s Report– Stacey Cordeiro

Police Report– Officer George Downing

  • Acknowledged graffiti in Downer Ave Playground
  • Officer George Downing provided police report

Election Logistics Review and Intro to JHA VP Nominee(s)–  Stephen McBride

  • Stephen reviewed election logistics and opened the floor for nominees
  • Steve Farrell was nominated as VP 
  • Steve introduced himself

Committee Reports 

  • Social Committee
    • Save the Date: Hot Toddy Tumble on Saturday January 29
    • Date for HTT is delayed due to covid
  • Planning & Development
    • RFP’s for Strand Theater new management, new library and housing/ commercial dev that would go with the library were due 12/23 and no bids were received. 
  • Greenspace & Friends of Downer Park
    • No update
  • Outreach Committee
    • No updates, Next meeting: January 26 – 6 p.m.
  • Traffic Committee
    • Updates to come once committee is able to regroup
    • Reach out to Steve F or Kathy if would like to join

Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services Update– Denise DosSantos

  • Vaccine requirement goes into place Saturday 1/15 for people aged 12+ must show proof of first dose to get into certain indoor spaces
    • More information about this initiative: http://boston.gov/btogether 
    • For questions, reach out to Denise: denise.dossantos@boston.gov
  • Question from JHA: Will there be any change of direction to the office? Answer: No, not necessarily. 
  • Residential Parking: Denise mentioned this is being escalated and reviewed
    • https://www.boston.gov/calendar/neighborhood-slow-streets-office-hours-0

Columbia Crossing Overview and Request for JHA Letter of Support– Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation

  • Beth O’Donnell, Cory Mian, Muge Undemir (DBEDC)
  • Purpose of this presentation is for JHA to decide if we will submit a letter of support
  • Presentation: https://www.dbedc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Columbia-Crossing-Community-Presentation-4_22_Final.pdf
  • This is the pre-filing phase and plan to file with the city during the beginning of February 
  • Q from Meg Campbell: Sustainability standards. LEED certified?  What about trees, raised beds, rain gardens, etc.  Very few trees in this area; A: Limited green space availability on this site but planning to incorporate greenery. Almost talking to landscape architects about street trees. LEED: Reviewing options but there are LEED requirements from the city. 
  • Q from Kathleen: Everything looks wonderful but to support the strand theater and the Artists showings we need to have the area not close at the end of the business day. Some thoughts about at least one or two sit down restaurants on the ground floor of the Citizens Bank Building; A: Reviewing options. 
  • Comments from Kit: Kit offered words of support for this project and in support of POAH as a partner. Also provided context about the affordable housing funding mechanism which prohibits building above the building. POAH also said this isn’t necessarily linked to the housing credits and probably would not be able to build on top of the building anyways. 
  • Stephen M asked the group if there are any reservations from us. None were voiced. 
  • Stepehen M will share out contacts from DBEDC and the presentation and RFP. 

Greening Dorchester Avenue– Meg Campbell

  • Goal is to plant many trees along Dorchester Ave and want to receive strong response from the city
  • Petition: https://www.change.org/p/mayors-office-city-of-boston-trees-for-dorchester-avenue?recruiter=1242777931&recruited_by_id=ed9a2260-618c-11ec-976d-277288aa30aa&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=petition_dashboard&utm_medium=email

Election/Votes: 

  • JHA VP: Steve Farrell is the new VP with 13 out of 16 votes
  • Columbia Crossing Letter of Support: 16 Yes
  • Greening Dorchester Ave Letter of Support: 16 Yes

New JHA Membership Management System Overview – Stacey Cordeiro

  • We have implemented a tool called Join It that will allow us to more easily manage our membership
  • Stacey provided overview of new system and how to use it
  • JHA Join It Site: https://www.joinit.org/o/jones-hill-association/members

On The Hill– Meaghan Agnew

  • Report out on holiday giving
  • Meaghan welcomed suggestions for other organizations throughout the year

Community Announcements

Jones Hill Hot Toddy Tumble – TBD

Dorchester Bay City Public Meetings

The BPDA will host a series of virtual public meetings to review specific topics of the Dorchester Bay City project. You can view more details and register for each at the links below:

B Together – Boston Vaccine Requirement Takes Effect January 15

Starting on January 15, 2022, to address rising COVID-19 cases and encourage vaccination, individuals will be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to enter certain indoor spaces in Boston. People working in those locations will also be required to have received their vaccines.  You can view more information directly from the Mayor’s office here.

Engine 17/Ladder 7 Public Art Project

The City of Boston is looking for an artist to create a long-term artwork that will complement the construction of the new Engine 17/Ladder 7 Fire Station in Dorchester. This Call to Artists is open to all artists, national and international, with a strong preference for artists who have a connection to Dorchester or themes of the project.

Join a session to learn more about the application process and ask any questions.

Thursday, January 13, from 6 – 7pm

The deadline for written questions about the opportunity is Thursday, January 13. The Call is open now through Friday, January 21, at 5pm (EST).

Learn more here. 

 

 

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