Alley cleanup this weekend

Boston Shines city cleanup is this coming Saturday.  The neighbors abutting the Milford/Dwight alley are getting together to clean up the alley, much like the Milford/Hanson folks did last year.  They hope to clean our all the debris, and to trim back vegetation to make the alley cleaner and safer.

This Saturday, 4/27, anyone interested in helping out should meet outside of Georgiana's at 8:30am.  

Boston Shines will be providing cleaning supplies at the BCA, and we're hoping to get DPW to pick up some of the larger debris that can't be bagged.

If you're interested in helping out, or for more information, contact Charles or Lewis.

For more information, see this flier.

8 Taylor meeting POSTPONED

Morning all,

I was finally able to contact city hall today, which gives you a hint they are still busy dealing with the events of this week.   Right now they are unable to confirm that all departments would be able to attend tonight's meeting.  

Since meeting with the 4 department representatives is the whole reason for the meeting, we have decided to POSTPONE the 8 Taylor community meeting.

I'll re-post once a new date is selected.

Thanks for your patience.

Mayor's coffee hour

Spring brings us the return of the Mayor's Coffee hour.   Stop by and chat the Mayor about anything that's on your mind!    All are welcome to attend.

Wednesday, May 29th, 9:30am-10:30

8 Taylor public meeting

NOTE - The meeting has since been postponed due to the events surround the Marathon.  We will re-blog once a new date is set.

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The City of Boston is holding a public meeting concerning 8 Taylor street.   The BRA, ISD, Landmarks and the Mayors Office of Neighborhood Services will all be there.   The meeting is to answer questions and discuss measures the city will put in place so this situation does not occur in future developments  A full meeting agenda will be posted when the city passes it onto us.

This is a public meeting, and we encourage all Eight Streets residents to attend.   Please pass the word.

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What: Community Meeting to discuss 8-10 Taylor Street

When: Wednesday April 17, 2013; 6-7pm

Where: The Benjamin Franklin Institute Auditorium located at  41 Berkeley Street, Boston MA 02116

In Attendance: representatives from the Inspectional Services Department (ISD), The South End Landmark District Commission, The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), and The Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services. 

April business meeting

Our next monthly Eight Streets business meeting will be this Wednesday, April 3rd, in the Boston Ballet 5th floor board room (corner of Warren and Clarendon streets)

6:30-7 - Neighborhood Networking.   Meet your neighbors in an informal setting. 

7-8:30 - Business meeting.  

On the agenda this month:

• 294 Shawmut ave
• Open Member Discussion

The only agenda item is a building project for 294 Shawmut ave.   They wish to increase the building's L extension from 2 stories to 4 stories.  We'll have plenty of time during open member discussion to chat about neighborhood goings on.

Hope to see everyone there!  

And a reminder that the meeting schedule for the rest of the ESNA year is on line -  mark your calendars so you don't miss a meeting!

march business meeting

Our next monthly Eight Streets business meeting will be this Wednesday, March 6th, in the Boston Ballet 5th floor board room (corner of Warren and Clarendon streets)

6:30-7 - Neighborhood Networking.   Meet your neighbors in an informal setting. 

7-8:30 - Business meeting.  

On the agenda this month:

• Dwight/Milford alley update - Find out what's going on with the neighbor's gate, numbering and lighting effort for the Dwight/Milford alley
• Request for Waltham closure.  Barbara Lynch/B&G would like to close part of Waltham st on a Sunday for her annual patio opening/fundraiser.   Strong opinions on this via email.  hear the proposal and speak with Barbara on her proposal.
• Open Member Discussion

Hope to see everyone there!  

And a reminder that the meeting schedule for the rest of the ESNA year is on line -  mark your calendars so you don't miss a meeting!

Lights! Cameras!

Hollywood is going to do a bit of filming in our neighborhood in about 2 weeks.  ABC (network) is going to be filming inside a Waltham street home for a new TV series.

On March 13-15 and 19-20 they'll be setting up and taking down the location.  Only one or two trucks those days, so not too many parking spaces taken.  They'll basically be furnishing and then de-furnishing the building.

Filming will take place on Monday, March 18th.  For that day they'll be taking up the most parking spaces of the shoot.  Many of their production vehicles will be on Washington street or on Harrison ave (where they are also filming), so we won't have the whole 'fleet' of movie making trucks you usually see invading Waltham street.

Feel free to contact us if there any issues related to the filming.  We'll post any additional information as it becomes available.

Street sweeping delayed

Hi all.    Street sweeping, which was to begin on march 1st has been delayed.   There's still too much ice and snow on the streets to start an effective sweeping program.

There will be no ticketing or towing (or street sweeping) the week of

UPDATED - snow delay again - new potential start date is March 18th

We'll let know when sweeping will begin - DPW will evaluate road conditions week by week and let us know when they feel the streets are ready to be cleaned!

February business meeting

Our next monthly Eight Streets business meeting will be this Wednesday, February 13th, in the Boston Ballet 5th floor board room (corner of Warren and Clarendon streets)

6:30-7 - Neighborhood Networking.   Meet your neighbors in an informal setting. 

7-8:30 - Business meeting.  

On the agenda this month:

• 54 Dight st - seeing support for roof deck and balcony
• 290 Shawmut ave - seeking support for rebuilding dormer and adding roofdeck
• Open Member Discussion

Just a few local projects on the agenda this month.  We'll have plenty of time during open member discussion to chat about neighborhood goings on.

Hope to see everyone there!  

And a reminder that the meeting schedule for the rest of the ESNA year is on line -  mark your calendars so you don't miss a meeting!

Clear those hydrants

First off, two thumbs up to all fellow Eigth Streets neighbors.   Lots of clean sidewalks today, with the sun melting what little we had left.   Hopefully the rain won't flood the streets and sidewalks Monday night.

I did notice a few hydrants could use some more work.  Just begin able to see the hydrant isn't enough.  The photo on the left shows a hydrant not cleaned off well enough.

Fire fighters need to be able to connect a hose to any of the three connections.   That means you need 2-3 feet CLEAR on either side.   Enough for a fully equipped firefighter can get there and work to attach equipment.  

We also need a path from the hydrant TO the street.   Access from the sidewalk to the hydrant isn't enough.  The hoses need to run form the hydrant to the trucks.   if firefighters have to waste time digging their own way to the hydrant, critical firefighting time is lost.

If you see hydrants today that need more access around them, or need a path to the street, please do a little more shoveling.   We need to be prepared in case the unthinkable happens...

Snow Primer

Morning all,

It's been a while since we've had significant snow in the city, so here's refresher with some city and neighborhood information.

Your main source of information is the city's Know Snow web page.  It has snow emergency, school closing and other current information - as well as links to parking and snow removal resources.   The Parking Page will tell you the do's and don'ts of parking during snow storms/snow emergencies, as well as list garages that offer discount rates for residents during snow emergencies.   And face it, with 2+ foot forecast with lots of drifting, putting the car in a garage tonight might be your best bet.  The Snow Removal page has a lot of what I'll summarize below, with the do's and don'ts of snow clearing.

For snow removal, you have to:

• Shovel your sidewalk within 3 hours of snow ending.  (or 3 hours after sunrise, if the snow continues into the night).  If you've been through this kind of snowfall before, it's easier to shovel multiple times during breaks in the storm rather than shovel it all at the end.  But of course, be safe and use your best judgement
• If you live on the corner, you have to shovel both sidewalks
• If you live on a crosswalks, you have to shovel out the crosswalk and have a clear path to the street.  If you live on a corner, both crosswalks need to be done.
• When you shovel, the path needs to be at least 42" wide.   Having a path 1-shove wide down the sidewalk isn't going to cut it.
• Sidewalks:   don't throw snow into the street.  Cars: don't shovel snow into the street or back onto the sidewalks.  Snow 'officially' goes between the walking sidewalks and the curb, or between parked cars.  With the levels of snow, putting it somewhere will be a challenge.
• As mentioned in last weeks' blog post - after your sidewalk is clear, it's your responsibility to keep it ice-free all winter long, as snow can melt and re-freeze at night on the sidewalk.

Remember, tickets issued for not shoveling now have to be paid, or they will be attached to your property tax bill.   You can get a ticket for every day not shoveled.  Plus, with the citizens connect app people have on their phones, any pedestrian who runs into an unshoveled property is going to snap a photo and get the city on your case.  The fine is $50/day for residential and $200 for commercial businesses (although ESNA businesses tend to be pretty good about clearing their sidewalks).

For snow removal, it would be nice if you:

• Shovel out hydrants, even if not in front of your home.
• Help out a neighbor who might have trouble with snow removal.  And keep an eye on a neighbor whose only home entrance is a very deep stairwell.  (Yes, some people got stuck in their homes last blizzard)
• Shovel the sidewalk of a local pocket park.  With this snow, parks/BRA will take a long time to get to such things.
• If there's a big gap between cars, consider shoveling out a path from the sidewalk to the street.  Pedestrians, drivers, mail carriers, package delivery and garbage men will thank you in the weeks to come.
• If you can, shovel out the local catch basins/storm drain.   The forecast for Monday is 40 degrees and RAIN.   If snow is covering all the storm drains we'll have flooding, which will then freeze on us Monday night.

For this and future weather alerts, you can sign up for alert emails form the city at the Alert Boston page.  For those on twitter, you can also follow @NotifyBoston and @AlertBoston.  Both of those resources will get you literally up to the minute notices on emergencies and closings and other city changes (like the change in trash times today).


Stay prepared,  stay safe, and see you all out shoveling!

Keeping sidewalks safe

As we enter the season of warm days and cold nights, we'd like to remind everyone that we need to keep our sidewalks ice free for the safety of everyone.

While everyone knows they need to shovel their sidewalks after a snow, most people don't realize they need to make sure there's no ice on their sidewalks.   As snow melts or water runs off rooftops, it risks re-freezing on the sidewalk after the sun goes down and temperatures drop again.   It's the owner's responsibility to make the sidewalks safe by sanding, removing or using an ice melting solution on icy sidewalks and steps.  

Not keeping sidewalks and stairways free of ice can result in the same city fine that you get if you don't shovel snow.

The problem is compounded in our area due to a change in government rules.   Residents are no longer allowed to connect downspouts (gutters) to the storm drain system.  For the rear of houses, gutters can drain to the yards or to a groundwater recharge system.   But there's often not room for either of those options in the front of buildings, so the downspouts now discharge right onto the sidewalks.  While usually not a problem, in wintertime this can create havoc.  On days like today where just a bit of snow is melting, even a small 'drip drip' from your gutter will create a thin sheen or water on the sidewalk, turning the sidewalk into a skating rink once the sun goes down.  

Please, everyone, check your sidewalks in the evenings and make sure they provide a safe environment for you and your neighbors!

Snow Emergency parking

South End Patch put together some important tips on parking in the South End during a snow emergency.  

You can find the article here

If there is a snow emergency - even if you're not parked on an artery, you can park at a local garage at a discount rate (and save yourself from shoveling out!).   A complete list can be found on this city web page.

A bunch of other information on the city during snow times can be found on the city's Know Snow web pages.  Surf to find out Boston Snow information, including signing up for alerts to get emails when a snow emergency has been declared.  

For those in the twittersphere, you can follow @NotifyBoston, which tweets not only snow alerts, but trash, traffic and other useful city information.   Visit and follow!

January business meeting

Our next monthly Eight Streets business meeting will be this Wednesday, January 9th (2013) in the Boston Ballet 5th floor board room (corner of Warren and Clarendon streets)

6:30-7 - Neighborhood Networking.   Meet your neighbors in an informal setting. 

7-8:30 - Business meeting.  

On the agenda this month:

• Parklet discussion
• Open Member Discussion

HI everyone.   Some last minute changes to the agenda.  54 Dwight will be coming before us in February for roof deck and balcony.  

BTD will also be joining us to discuss the proposed parklet on Hanson at Shawmut.  I've discussed the parklet at previous meetings, but BTD hadn't been in touch with us since their initial presentation at a South End forum meeting in May.   At previous meetings some people have questioned the need for a parklet in that area.  There has also been a negative article on the parklet penned by an abutter that made the papers. (the letter can still be found here).

BTD will be at the meeting to present information about the proposal, and to see if the neighborhood is interested in having the Hanson/Shawmut corner still be a part of the city's parklet program.

Additional reading:

• Boston.com article
• PDF on parklets form the city's BostonCompleteStreets web site
• Google search on parklets for your own reading & research

Hope to see everyone there!  

And a reminder that the meeting schedule for the rest of the ESNA year is on line -  mark your calendars so you don't miss a meeting!

Local crimes: remember to Call 9-1-1 when you see something

Sgt. Provenzano of BPD area D4 gives us an update on some neighborhood security issues (below).

This is a reminder for everyone to call 911 when you see suspicious behavior on our streets.  Even if it's not an emergency, call 911 and let them know something is going on.  (See this previous blog entry with more detail on how Boston 911 works.)

When calling, remember to give as much detail of the situation, and as details a description of the people as you can.   If you don't feel safe calling right away, remember the details and call when you feel safer.  Details like number of people, type and color of clothing, ethnicity and build can help police locate people if they've moved on from where you saw the suspicious activity.    Remember, if you're on a cell phone, 911 will connect you to the state police.   Program 617-3434-911 into your cell phone to be connected directly to Boston 911 dispatcher

From Sgt. Provenzano:

After two daytime residential burglaries on 12-27-12 (one on Milford Street & the other on Dwight Street), officers made an arrest of a burglary suspect on Chandler Street this morning(do in large part to the immediate 911 call by a witness & a great description as well as an officer being on scene as the call was coming in). It is unknown at this time if any of these incidents are connected. However, we would like to take this time to remind residents to be vigilant and to immediately notify 911 of any suspicious behavior that they observe. You are our eyes & ears and we need your timely 911 calls.

Xmas day - no trash pickup at all

An important notice about trash next week:

Tuesday the 25th, being the Christmas holiday, there will be no trash or recycling pickup at all.  Trash is often delayed a week during holidays, but for the 25th all trash and recycling pickup has been cancelled.

• This Tuesday the 18th is the last Recycling pickup of the year.
• Tuesday the 25th - no trash or recycling pickup at all
• Friday the 28th - trash pickup only.

• Tuesday January 1st - regular trash and recycling pick-up.  No holiday delay

Please pass the word about no trash collection on the 25th.  It would be nice if we didn't have trash put out on Tuesday, and then end up sitting curbside until Friday...


The City web site lists Christmas tree pickup for recycling/composting starting the 2nd week of January - so trees will be recycled for Eight Streets on January 8th and 15th.  Trees put out on other days will be picked up with regular trash collection.

December business meeting

Our next monthly Eight Streets business meeting will be this Wednesday, December 5th in the Boston Ballet 5th floor board room (corner of Warren & Clarendon streets)

6:30-7 - Neighborhood Networking.   Meet your neighbors in an informal setting. 

7-8:30 - Business meeting.  

On the agenda this month:

• Social night - As suggested at the last meeting, we're going to make our Neighborhood  Networking more social.  Bring a neighbor with you tonight and introduce them to the association.   
• On the social note, bring your favorite beverage for yourself and a snack to share and we can make an evening of it!
• 54 Dwight st - Requesting support for change of occupancy form single family to 2 family.  A vote will be taken. upcoming project
• Discussion on alley security.  Office Rich Littor will join us to discuss how we can make our alleys safer.   Mike and Rob have also been investigating some improvements to the Dwight/Milford alley.  This will be an open discussion 0 everyone can participate and discuss security and crime in the neighborhood.

Hope to see everyone there!  

And a reminder that the meeting schedule for the rest of the year is on line -  mark your calendars so you don't miss a meeting!

Blackstone has Friends

The newly formed Friends of Blackstone Elementary want everyone to know they're around, and are looking for people to get involved!!  Located at Shawmut & West Dedham, the school is home to almost 600 students and is exceeding expectations as part of a multi-year turn-around program.

Find out more about the Friends, and find out how you can get involved.

Trees & Tree lighting

It's getting close to that time...

Charlie the Christmas Tree guy is back in our neighborhood again this year. A great way to get your Christmas trees and wreaths without having to go far from home. This year they're across the street - still at Berkeley and Tremont, but in the fenced yard of the Franklin Institute. Look for the Christmas lights, you can't miss him. Open now - every day and evening.

Our South End tree lighting is around the corner as well! Join your neighbors ont he BCA Plaza on Saturday, December 8th for the South End tree lighting. The event is 3-5pm on the BCA plaza, (4:15 est trolley arrival) and includes activities and snacks for the kids. For more information, see the BCA Web site.

 Don't forget to take advantage of the variety of theater events available for half price on the Mayors Holiday Special web site!

no November meeting

Hi Everyone,

The November Eight Streets meeting is being cancelled, so you can now spend a quiet evening at home as we recover from Tuesday's election.    

In reality, we lost our regular room, and with no big agenda items, rather than reschedule for another day, we'll just resume on our next meeting date, Wednesday, December 5th.

Speaking of next meeting, someone had a suggestion to make our 'social hour' part of the meeting more social.   Is there an interest in making our December meeting 6:30-7 period more social?   Snacks plus a 'bring a friend' night?  Might be a fun way to end the year.  Anyone interested?

- John Mc