Dover St hearing on Tuesday

On Tuesday, May 24 there will be a hearing on the East Berkeley/Dover street name change.   The hearing is at 6pm in the auditorium of the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (41 Berkeley st).

The purpose of the hearing will be resolve "any discrepancies" in the city's policy for street name-changes and to facilitate an open discussion on reclaiming the Dover Street name for the thoroughfare, currently known as East Berkeley Street.

More about the name change can be found here.

We encourage all to attend

Traffic on Wednesday (May 18)

President Obama will be at a fundraiser at our very own Boston Center for the Arts on Wednesday, May 18th.   While there will be traffic around the event time (3pm), be aware there may be significant parking restrictions in the days beforehand.    Please keep an eye on local news for details, and make sure you park carefully in case a "no parking" sign should pop up while you're away.   It's also not unusual for items like mail boxes and trash cans to disappear before such an event, so plan your personal trips accordingly.

Boston.com article

[Update]   South End Patch has posted the following parking restrictions:

Parking is prohibited on the following streets from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday:

• Tremont Street from Berkeley Street to Dartmouth Street
• Clarendon Street from Tremont Street to Appleton Street
• Warren Avenue from Berkeley Street to Dartmouth Street
• Montgomery Street from Clarendon Street to Dartmouth Street

South end News adds:   Tremont St. will be closed to all traffic between W. Dedham Street and Berkeley St. all day Wednesday as a part of the high security.

Aaron Michlewitz's Coffee Hour

State Representative Aaron Michlewitz is having his next coffee hour this Saturday (May 14) from 10am-noon at Berkeley Perk coffee shop (69 Berkeley St)

Everyone is welcome to stop by and chat with Aaron about state issues that are on your mind.

May ESNA Business meeting

Hi Everyone!

Our monthly Eight Streets business meeting will be this Tuesday, May 3rd, at Project Place (Washington & East Berkeley). 


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

7-8:30 - Business meeting.  


On the agenda this month.

• 10 Bond street - Last month they informally presented plans for a roofdeck on the "L" of the building.   This month they will be formally presenting the roofdeck plans, and we will vote to oppose or not oppose said plans.    Ever up to today they were still waiting for their official 'letter of rejection' from the Zoning Board of Appeals.   As of this afternoon the ZBA told 10 Bond they would be getting their rejection letter on Tuesday and should have it in hand in time for the meeting. 

• Pops restaurant - Last month Pops also visited us, seeking support to extend closing hours from midnight to 1am.  At the time neighbors brought forth several long standing complaints concerning Pops - including improper trash disposal, smokers in front of residential buildings, noise issues during closing and the vent noise/smells at the rear of the location.   Doug Noble, now taking a managerial role at Pops, said those items went unaddressed in the past due to the former Pops manager.   Doug said that in his new role as Pops manager he would work to address all items ASAP.    Since neighboring Union Park association would not be meeting until after our May meeting, we voted to postpone a vote on Pops until the May meeting, giving Pops a month to "put their best foot forward" through April.    Now, a month later, we will hear feedback form both Pops and abutters to see if the situation has changed, and if abutters concerns have been addressed.   At this May meeting, we will vote to oppose or not oppose the request to extend the operating hours from midnight to 1am.

We  hope you can make this important business meeting.


See you on Tuesday!

Dedication of Land Wave

Mayor Menino will be on hand to dedicate the sculpture LandWave - the undulating mass of Land and Sea in Peters Park, next to the ball fields adjacent to Washington street.   The artwork represents the meeting of Land and Sea at what was once the "neck" of boston - the narrow strip of land (often covered at high tide int eh early days) that made the original boston land mass almost an island.  

Join the Mayor at 11:30am on Monday, April 25th for the dedication ceremony.

Complete information on Monday's event and an over view of LandWave.

The LandWave web site

Hearing on Public and Private alleys

On Wednesday April 27th the City Council will hold a hearing on Public and Private alleyways in Boston. the hearing takes place in the City Council chambers, 5th floor of city hall.  This hearing begins at 6:00pm. The hearing is sponsored by Councilors Arroyo and Linehan

We spoke of this hearing at the last meeting - the topic of this hearing is geared toward alleyways that are drive-able.   All Eight Streets alleys are walkable-only, and will not be discussed at this meeting.   Our only drive-able alley is already public - PA705, between Dwight and East berkeley.   (And if you missed the meeting - is due to be re-paved this season!!)

At issue in this hearing is the maintenance of alleys.   As the South End was built, some rear alleys were turned over to the city to become city property; while others remained private.    Private alleys allow the owners flexibility over use of the alley, but maintenance and snow removal must also be privately paid for.

Today, if the owners of an alley would like to turn the alley over to City control, the alley must be brought up to City standards, meaning in a state of good repair, ADA compliance, and conform to other city regulations.   This can be cost-prohibitive for the owners.    This hearing is to discuss this specific issue.

From the hearing flier:

The public is invited to attend and learn form city officials:

How alleys are designated as public or private
What jurisdiction the city has in providing services for private alleys
What duties private property owners have in upkeep and maintenance of private alleys.

Please feel free to attend the hearing.  Even though it is not an ESNA issue, it is a South End issue of concern to many residents.

A Boston.com article on the issue can be found here.

[Update] Two post-meeting articles can be found here:    South End Patch,   Universal Hub.

Egg Hunt Postponed Due to Weather

The Ringgold Park Egg Hunt has been rescheduled due to inclement weather.



Please join us next Sunday, April 24th, at 10 am.

We hope to see you there!

The Friends of Ringgold Park

---

email: ringgoldpark@verizon.net

Neighborhood News on-line

Since you're reading this blog, you probably have some intent savvy, and an interest in neighborhood news.  We'd like to remind you our two Press outlets also have a presence on line.

The South End News has a Web page as well as a Facebook Page and Twitter feed.    On the Web Page they also have (at the bottom of the page) and email sign-up, where you can get a weekly email of the weeks' headlines.

The South End patch also has a Web Page, Facebook Page and Twitter Feed, as well as an RSS feed for news stories.  They also have an email newsletter (link is on the upper right of the Web Page)

[[Update - the Patch now has an iphone app (android coming soon) ]]

Both outlets provide news covering the South End, and we hope you follow both and get all your neighborhood news...

Yard waste pickup for Spring

City of Boston press release.   Eight Streets' recycling day is Tuesday


If you don’t have time to compost your leaves or yard debris this spring, Boston Public Works Department will do it for you.  Public Works crews will collect your leaves and yard waste on neighborhood recycling days from April 25 to May 20.

• Residents should place leaves and yard debris in large paper leaf bags or open barrels labeled “yard waste” (no plastic bags).  Yard waste stickers for barrels are available by calling (617) 635-4500.
• Residents should tie branches with string: 3’ maximum length. 1” max. diameter. They should not put branches in barrels.  
• Barrels, bags and branches should be placed curbs:

7:00 AM on your Recycling Day:  April 25 through May 20
Yard Waste will not be collected for two weeks prior to the spring collection (April 11 thru April 22).  Residents should please hold their yard waste until collection begins the week of April 25. 


More Information on Yard Waste Guidelines

April ESNA Business Meeting

Hi Everyone!

Our monthly Eight Streets business meeting will be this Tuesday, April 5th at Project Place (Washington & East Berkeley).  

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

7-8:30 - Business meeting.   

We have some exciting items on the agenda this month.

• Pops restaurant - Pops is seeking support to extend closing hours from midnight to 1am.   Their hearing was last week - no word yet if it was denied or postponed.   But according to the city they still wish to visit the NA and get feedback on extended hours.

• 10 Bond street - they wish to present information on a planned roofdeck.   There was recently a hearing on the validity of their existing permit, but I have not yet received feedback on how that went.   but this is information only - there is no vote on this issue scheduled at this meeting

• Meet Eric Hill - Eric works at Paul Sullivan housing and will be a regular attendee at our meetings.

We've got some great agenda items this month, so we hope you'll be able to make it.   (A local business also promises to bring some treats to nibble on).   

See you on Tuesday!

Street Sweeping begins

A sure sign of Spring - Street sweeping is here!

As of April 1st, the street sweeping season for local streets has begin (although sweeping was postponed due to snow on Friday).   This week is the "first" week - many of our streets are cleaned on the First Mondays and Thursdays.  A full schedule for Eight Streets and surrounding streets can be found here (let me know if we need any corrections)

So please remember to move your cars this week.   Never mind the potential ticket - our streets are a mess after this long winter, and this is a chance to start the Spring cleanup.

March ESNA Meeting

Hi Everyone!  We seem to be storm-free at the moment, so the weather looks good for our March ESNA Meeting!

Our monthly Eight Streets business meeting will be this Tuesday, March 1st at Project Place (Washington & East Berkeley).  (Yes, this coming Tuesday is March already)

6:30-7 - Neighborhood Networking.   Meet your neighbors in an informal setting
7-8:30 - Business meeting.

We have some exciting items on the agenda this month.

• Election season isn't that far off.   This November the City Council seats will be up for election.  Suzanne Lee has put her hat in the ring for the District 2 seat, and will visit us this month to let us know about herself and her candidacy.   I hope we can get a good crowd for this (and all) candidate presentations to show Eight Streets has an interest in who represents us in City Hall.

• Berkeley Greenery - Berkeley's fence on Berkeley street is now up, but they still have more work planned.   Along the fence they plan an to have array of greenery to compliment the fence and bring year-round color to the Berkeley edge.   Ann McQueen from the garden will give us a short presentation on their fence greenery plans.

• Rob Ferris, who is developing 5 Dwight street will give us a project update on the building rehab.  

We've got some great agenda items this month, so we hope you'll be able to make it.   (A local business also promises to bring some treats to nibble on).

See you on Tuesday!

Blackstone/Franklin fundraiser

Passing along this notice from our friends at Blackstone/Franklin Square NA...

The B/FSNA is having its annual book scholarship fundraiser on Thursday February 24 at Estragon, 700 Harrison from 6 to 8 pm. There will be free food from Estragon, Mela, Pita and Siraj Cafe; a cash bar and a wonderful silent auction. We have items from Toro, Orinoco, South End Athletics Company, Flour and more. Tickets are $25/in advance, $30/at the door; $30/$40 for couples.

All the proceeds go to support our book scholarship for South End high school seniors. More information is available at www.bfsna.org or email info@bfsna.org. 

Ringgold fundraising deadline approaches

Ringgold park has gotten Landmarks approval for the new center circle design, but the fundraising deadline is fast approaching.  The Feb 22 fundraising deadline is a little over 2 weeks away!!!  Get full details in this South End News article on the design and fundraising effort.

Read here to read Ringgold Park's latest call for donations.  Or, jump right to the on-line donation page to make your donation!  They need your help in order to make this renovation happen!

Keep up to date on Boston notices

Unsure if Boston has declared a snow emergency?  Need to know when Boston has a parking ban due to snow?  Are schools open or closed?  Keep in touch with up-to-the-minute city notices by adding  NotifyBoston to your Twitter feed.  Tweets are kept to a minimum, but the information is worth following.   During these trying snow times you can also use the hashtag #bostonsnow on your tweets to share snow information with others in Boston.

Universalhub is another good source of Boston information.  It's more chatty and tweets more than notifyboston, but it's fun to see what goes on city-wide.  And of course you can follow our good friends at SouthEndNews.

What Boston twitter feeds do you follow or find interesting?   Add your favoriate to the comments!

Eight Streets meeting postponed

Due to the impending weather, the February Eight Streets meeting has been postponed.   While I'm sure walking across the neighborhood int he snow wouldn't be a problem, many people come to the NA meeting right after work - and with the potential for tomorrow's commute to be extra long, many people won't be able to make the meeting.

Our two presenters have already been rescheduled for our March business meeting, including City Council district 2 candidate Suzanne Lee.

I hope to see everyone at the March meeting.   Hopefully we'll have less snow on the ground, and no storms on the horizon.

(And remember, another snow emergency starts 9AM Tuesday morning (2/1/2010)

SE Library lecture series

The Friends of the South End Library will kick off its 2011 authors' series on Tuesday, January 25 at 6:30 PM at the South End Library with nationally renowned author and professor of literature Doug Bauer. The South End resident  will read from a forthcoming collection of personal essays. More information about the series and its upcoming guests can be found on the FOSEL web site.

Trash collection on SATURDAY this week

Because of the blizzard, this weeks' trash collection has been moved to SATURDAY, Jan 15th.   Please do not put trash out until after 5pm Friday night, or better still, Saturday morning.  

Also, since this snow won't be melting any time soon, please do your best to help the sanitation people.   They can't see over snowbanks and such.  Try to put your trash near a path that leads to the street.  If you have white trash bags, try putting your bags near your neighbors black bags so they can be seen.   And, as always, make sure your trash is in sealed garbage bags.  Please, no trash in paper department store bags or convenience store plastic bags - all trash needs to be in secured barrels or in appropriate garbage bags.

The change of date is for this week only.   Regular trash collection resumes next week.

Got a photo?

Got a good storm photo?  Or any photo of our neighborhood?   If you use Flickr, use the tag eightstreets and share your photos with the neighborhood?   (anyone use picasa?   Lemmie know and we can use tags there as well)

Flickr eightstreets photos...

No January ESNA Meeting

Greetings and Happy New Year everyone!

We will not be having a January Eight Streets Meeting.   We had no issues to vote on and no speaker scheduled.   And I think like myself, many of you are just getting back into the swing of things after a busy December.     Once we are able to move back to the Ballet meeting space, we'll most likely change to the second week of the month, just so the monthly meetings don't sneak up on anyone.

Speaking of which, the next meeting is Tuesday, February 1st.     Currently we just have a project update form the new owners of 5 Dwight street.   This will be informational only - as of now, no votable items on that project.  

As always, let me know if there are speakers you would like to see at our meetings.   We don't have to be all business.  There are many State and City folks who would come to the meeting to speak and ask questions.   (In December we had two city councilor's offices in attendance).   If there's a speaker you'd like to see come to a meeting, or a topic you'd like to discuss, send to the email list or reply to the blog and let us know!

As a reminder, Eight Streets member renewals were do as of September.   If you have not renewed yet, head over to the Membership Page; where you can use paypal to renew your ESNA Membership; or print out a member form and US Mail it in.

Thanks everyone, and see you February 1st!