Northern Avenue Bridge Community Meeting Announced

updated 11/27/18 with December Mayor's Advisory Task Force meeting (see bottom)

The City of Boston Public Works Department invites you to a Community Meeting regarding the Northern Avenue Bridge on:

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

6:00 PM – 8:00 PM 

6:00 PM Open House & 6:30 PM Presentation 

District Hall, Assembly Room 

75 Northern Avenue

Built in 1908, today’s Northern Avenue Bridge was in service for over a century, before it was closed in 2014. The City of Boston will be reconstructing this iconic span, reimagining it to improve mobility, honor history, strengthen resiliency and create a new destination along Boston’s shore. The City has convened a Mayoral Advisory Task Force to assist in designing and programming the new bridge. The City invites you to lend your voice and help build a bridge that meets the needs of Boston’s next century. 

The meeting will begin with an open house where participants can view project materials, learn more about the current bridge’s structural analysis, mobility evaluation, placemaking and design process, and speak with members of the Project Team. The presentation will begin at 6:30 PM, followed by time for Q+A. 

Please visit the Northern Avenue Bridge project website for more information: 

For project questions or comments, please email the project team.

For those attending the monthly Northern Avenue Bridge Mayor's Advisory Task Force meetings, the next meeting is December 12th at BSA's Fort Point Room (290 Congress St) from 4 pm to 5:30 pm. NOTE: new place & time.

originally published 11.14.18

Boston City Council Looks At Artist Work Spaces, Early Voting, Civic Engagement & More

City Councilor-At-Large Michelle Wu publishes notes from Boston City Council meetings. The Boston City Council considered the following items and more at their October 24 and October 31 and November 7, 2018 meetings:

Appropriation Orders:

• $6.5M from the City’s Capital Grant Fund to address the impact of transportation network services on the City’s public travel infrastructure, such as municipal roads and bridges. The matter was assigned to the Ways and Means Committee for a hearing.

• $16,077 from the FY19 Collective Bargaining Reserve to fund the collective bargaining agreements between the Boston Public Schools and the AFSCME Council 92, Local 230A, which includes a 2% wage increase. [Passed]

Appointments:

• Darlene Lombos was appointed as a member of the Living Wage Advisory Committee until March 2021
• Bridget Brown was appointed as a member of the Boston Cultural Council for a term until October 2021
• The Mayor appointed Jeffery Gonyeau as an alternate member of the Boston Landmarks Commission until June 2021, subject to Council confirmation. The matter was assigned to the Planning, Development & Transportation Committee for a hearing.

Make Boston Shine Fund: The Mayor filed an order to create a “Make Boston Shine Trust Fund” to promote civic engagement and community pride, and to support projects that will beautify our neighborhoods. The matter was assigned to the Committee on Ways & Means.

Early Voting: Councilors Zakim and Janey filed a Home Rule Petition to authorize the City of Boston to offer early voting in municipal elections. Currently, the state legislation for early voting only applies to state general elections, and we should have the same level of access in city elections. They noted that voter turnout was less than 28% during the 2017 Boston Municipal election, and an expanded voting window would increase access to the polls. The matter was assigned to the Government Operations Committee for a hearing.

Workspace for Artists: Councilors Essaibi-George and O’Malley filed a hearing order to discuss improving access to workspace for artists. Artists are an important part of the City’s economy, as there are 36,254 workers in the creative economy and jobs within the creative economy will expand in the next decade. However, artists need affordable workspaces to showcase their work and develop their careers, and currently there is no structure in place for artists to rent affordable workspaces. Artists have already displaced from Jamaica Plain’s Brookside Avenue, the Piano Factory in the South End, and several other locations. The matter was assigned to Arts, Culture, and Special Events Committee for a hearing.

Net Zero Carbon Requirements:  Councilor O’Malley filed a hearing order on the feasibility of requiring all new municipal buildings to be carbon neutral. Buildings contribute to over half of the greenhouse gas emissions, and the Council has already had several working sessions on the benefit of having net carbon zero requirements. Cities such as Cambridge, Portland, OR, and Santa Monica already established roadmaps to achieving net zero carbon in their municipal buildings. The matter was assigned to the Committee on Environment, Sustainability and Parks for a hearing.

Upcoming hearings (In the City Council Chamber unless otherwise noted.) Watch:

• Tuesday, November 27th, 2pm: Hearing on Artist Work & Living Space (Committee on Arts, Culture & Special Events) *Postponed until further notice
• Thursday, November 29th, 4pm: Hearing on Declaring Surplus the City of Boston’s Frontage Road Parcels (Planning, Development & Transportation)
• Friday, November 30th, 10am: Hearing on South Boston Waterfront Transportation & Seaport Transit Strategic Plan
• Our next City Council meeting will be on November 28, 2018 at 12pm

For complete notes on Boston City Council meetings, visit MichelleForBoston.com or sign up to receive these notes automatically. 

MassDOT Cypher Street Improvements Public Meeting

updated 11/20/18 with meeting presentation and meeting handout. Comment deadline extended to November 30, 2018. 

MassDOT invites the public to become fully acquainted with the proposed improvements to new Cypher Street, including Richards St, E Street and Fargo Street at a meeting on:  

Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Cypher Street Improvements Project
Meeting Handout
Meeting Presentation

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Condon School

200 D Street

All views and comments made at the meeting will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.

Proposal:

The project will include improvements for truck access to Massport’s Conley Terminal, and expand/improve multi-modal transportation connections through the corridor. The proposed work includes new sidewalks and pavement, street lighting, traffic signal systems, improved drainage, accessibility ramps and crosswalks, separated bike lanes, new pavement markings, signing and landscaping in accordance with current state and federal standards.

A secure right-of-way is necessary for this project. Acquisitions in fee and permanent or temporary easements may be required. MassDOT is responsible for acquiring all needed rights in private or public lands. MassDOT’s policy concerning land acquisitions will be discussed at this hearing.

Written views received by MassDOT subsequent to the date of this notice and up to five (5) days prior to the date of the meeting shall be displayed for public inspection and copying at the time and date listed above. Plans will be on display one-half hour before the hearing begins, with an engineer in attendance to answer questions regarding this project. 

Written statements and other exhibits in place of, or in addition to, oral statements made at the Public Hearing regarding the proposed undertaking are to be submitted to Patricia A. Leavenworth, P.E., Chief Engineer, MassDOT, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, Attention: Roadway Project Management, Project File No. 608807. Such submissions will also be accepted at the hearing. Mailed statements and exhibits intended for inclusion in the public hearing transcript must be postmarked within ten (10) business days of this Public Hearing. Project inquiries may be emailed.

This location is accessible to people with disabilities. MassDOT provides reasonable accommodations and/or language assistance free of charge upon request (including but not limited to interpreters in American Sign Language and languages other than English, open or closed captioning for videos, assistive listening devices and alternate material formats, such as audio tapes, Braille and large print), as available. For accommodation or language assistance, please contact MassDOT’s Chief Diversity and Civil Rights Officer by phone (857-368-8580), fax (857-368-0602), TTD/TTY (857-368-0603) or by email. Requests should be made as soon as possible prior to the meeting, and for more difficult to arrange services including sign-language, CART or language translation or interpretation, requests should be made at least ten (10) business days before the meeting.

originally published 11.6.18

Three events. Two Places. One Night.

Looking for an evening of art, crafts and mingling? Look no further. The 249 A Street Artist Cooperative and the Society of Arts + Crafts invite you to be their guests the evening of Thursday, November 8, 2018.

The artists at 249 A Street Cooperative invite you to the closing reception of their annual group show on November 8th from 5 pm - 7 pm at the Gallery at 249 A. If you missed visiting 249 A Street during Fort Point Open Studios, here is your chance. The annual group show features works by the members of the cooperative and guest artists who exhibited during Open Studios. The show encompasses painting, drawing, photography, prints,  ceramics, mixed media, and sculpture. Be sure to mark your calendar for the Holiday Studio Sale on December 8th from 11 am to 5 pm.


The Society of Arts + Crafts invites you to the opening reception of Adorning Boston and Beyond: Contemporary Studio Jewelry Then + Now and Our Cups Runneth Over, the 6th biennial ceramic cups show and sale this Thursday, November 8th from 6 pm to 9 pm. Mingle with curators, artists and collectors during the opening of these two stunning exhibitions. Collectors will also be wearing their own pieces throughout the evening, and both curators will deliver short talks offering their perspective on the exhibitions. This will be an evening not to miss filled with art, craft and excellent company.  Save the dates, December 14- December 16, 2018, for CraftBoston at the Hynes Convention Center. The Society of Arts + Crafts is located at 100 Pier 4 in Suite 200. 

Fort Point Landmarks November 2018 Meeting

The FORT POINT CHANNEL LANDMARK DISTRICT COMMISSION will hold a public hearing on:

Thursday, November 8, 2018

6:00 PM

Boston City Hall - Piemonte Room (5th Floor)

After 5:30 pm, enter and exit City Hall at the Dock Square entrance on Congress Street 

(across from Faneuil Hall).

Subject of the hearing will be applications for Certificates of Design Approval on the agenda below, review of architectural violations and such business as may come before the commission, in accordance with Ch. 772 of the Acts of 1975, as amended.

I. DESIGN REVIEW

19.177 FPC: 63 Melcher St.

Applicant: Mike Barresi; Joint Ventures Physical Therapy

Proposed Work: At the comer of Melcher and A Street level 1, install temporary "coming soon" decals on two windows

II. REVIEW and RATIFICATION OF October 11,2018 MINUTES

PROJECTED ADJOURNMENT: 6:30 PM

FORT POINT CHANNEL LANDMARK DISTRICT COMMISSION

David Berarducci, Susan Goganian, John Karoff, Lynn Smiledge, Vacancy 

Alternates: Thomas Rodde, Vacancy

Early Voting Is Back

Early voting is back starting Monday, October 22nd through November 2, 2018. Boston City Hall is the main early voting polling location. City Hall will be open for voting Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., during the two-week period. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, City Hall will stay open until 8 p.m. for early voting. 

On Saturday, October 27th & Sunday, October 28th the Condon School at 200 D. St. will be open from 10 am to 6 pm. 

There will also be early voting "pop-up" polling locations throughout the City on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Those locations will be open from 12 pm to 8 pm. 

Any registered voter may vote early at any location. Click on the voting map to find a convenient place.

On November 6th, the polls will be open from 7 am to 8 pm. Fort Point and Seaport residents vote at the Condon School located at 200 D St (off of West Broadway behind the Laboure Center).

Don't be surprised, click the sample ballot of candidates and ballot questions. 

Originally published 10.17.18

"Water Levels" Closing Reception This Friday

Vital, powerful, and beautiful, water is a critical resource for everyday life. In Boston, a city so close to the ocean, rising sea levels provoke serious conversations on climate change and the future. 

"Water Levels", an FPAC member group show, considers water formally, conceptually, and thematically across a variety of mediums including photography, painting, drawing, works on paper, and sculpture. 

If you haven't seen "Water Levels" at the Fort Point Arts Community's (FPAC) new art space, Assemblage, you are in luck. FPAC invites you to join them for their closing reception this Friday, November 2, 2018 from 5 pm to 7 pm.  Assemblage is located at 70 Sleeper Street on the ground level of the Envoy Hotel across from the Barking Crab.