CSHCA Meeting Minutes – May 1, 2023

President: Elizabeth Doyle
Vice-President: Eileen Boyle
Minutes: Doreen Miller
Special Guest: Jennifer Johnson, Candidate for City Council District 3
Number in attendance: 31 (zoom), approx. 18 (In person)

Police Report (Officer Keaney)

• April 21, 9:23 AM, 6 Seaview Terrace. A breaking and entering was reported, which happened between 12:30 -8:30 AM. Unknown suspect entered through the basement door and stole an Apple iChrome, videos, and the keys to the pick-up truck, which was stolen as well. The items were later discovered in the alley behind Seaview, and the truck was found on Jones Hill later in the afternoon. An investigation is ongoing.
• May 1, 12:50 AM, 28 Spring Garden Street. There was a report of “shots fired.” Subsequent investigation found no victims, bullets, or weapons. The noise was of an unknown source.
• Many thanks to the community members for their outreach and support following the death of Officer Keaney’s wife.

Thanks to all the Volunteers on the Clean-Up Days

• Des Rohan: The One Boston Day was a success. There were 2 teams that worked in the Polish Triangle and on Savin Hill Beach.
• Bill Walczak: Thank you to the 39 people who were involved in the clean-up of Savin Hill Park. Much tree debris and glass were removed.
• Alix Giannetti: Several bags of trash and litter were removed from Pattens Cove. Some orange traffic cones were removed from the water. DCR stopped by and did a walk-through with Alix to look at needed tree trimming.

Update on the Letter to Mayor Wu About the Empty Lots (Eileen Boyle)

There has been no official response to our letter. She will give it one more week before following up.

Meet the Candidate for City Council, District 3: Jennifer Johnson

• Jennifer grew up in Louisiana and moved to Massachusetts 34 years ago to be involved in MassPIRG environmental research.
• She has been a Dorchester resident for the past 17 years, active in the Meetinghouse Hill Civic Association and other associations in the neighborhood. She runs her own small advisory business.
• She has been active in helping out in many election campaigns over the years.
• Her main priorities are:
  • Housing – There is not enough truly affordable housing. Over the years, she has seen people moving out of the city as it has become unaffordable. Most market rate units are geared toward people who earn $125,000 or more per year. We need housing for a broader array of people.
  • Public Schools – Boston spends over $1 billion a year, or about $8,000 per student per year – the same as in the suburbs. Where is the money going? Why do our schools offer such poor-quality education? Families and students are leaving the city to find better quality education.
  • “Day to Day” Issues – Traffic safety issues seem to get ignored in Dorchester.
    • The South End has crosswalks everywhere on every corner. Here one cannot even get to Ronan Park safely as there are no crosswalks.
    • Cars have been clocked at 60 mph driving by the park.
• Questions from the Membership
  • How do you see your role as City Councilor?
    • Jennifer Johnson knows Mayor Wu and understands that Boston has a strong mayor system.
    • She will relate to other council members in a professional, cordial, and respectful manner.
    • She will always represent and fight for the needs of voters in her district.
  • Can you give an example of where you might disagree with the mayor?
    • There has been a movement policy-wise (perhaps inherited from Mayor Walsh) towards taking away parking options with new developments. She feels this is short-sighted and unrealistic.
  • What are your thoughts on the large developments taking place in Dorchester?
    • She thinks it is a complicated issue as we do need housing, but the city is not planning for enough infrastructure upgrades to support the new density, and it is not planning for the increased number of cars.
    • She would prefer the ZBA to green-light smaller projects that allow homeowners to increase density on their own properties by adding bedrooms and apartments, and to have fewer large scale projects.
    • She is concerned about climate change and, being from Louisiana, she has experienced what rising sea levels can do. She is not so sure that Dorchester Bay City and the Seaport District will be viable in 30-50 years.
  • What are your thoughts on rent control?
    • The first rent control law we had was too restrictive, and it was a good idea to get rid of it.
    • The current proposal is really misnamed. It should be called “stopping rent gouging.”
      • It allows a 10% annual increase.
      • There are lots of waivers.
        • Homes of 5 or fewer units are exempt.
        • New developments have a 15-year grace period.
• A Meet and Greet is planned for May 13, from 1PM- 5PM at Eileen Boyles home.
• You can contact her at Jen.johnson10768@gmail.com

Saturday, June 10, Beach and Shores Clean-Up, 10 AM – 1 PM (Katrina Martin)

• This is being sponsored and organized by Surf Rider Foundation and the Urban Harbors Institute of UMassBoston, who share a grant.
• Their goal is to reduce plastic pollution, clean-up the trash on shores and beaches, protect the oceans, and collect data.
• These clean-ups benefit the communities and bring attention to the litter and trash problem.
• The clean-up will target Pattens Cove, Savin Hill and Malibu beaches, and the shoreline along Morrissey and behind the Vietnam Memorial.
• Surf Rider is getting the DCR permits, after which a flyer with a QR code and volunteer sign-up link will be hung around the neighborhood – probably by mid-May.
• Mayor Wu has been invited to join in this event.
• Gloves, buckets, pickers/pokers, and a clip board for inventory will be provided.
• Meet up at the Malibu Beach parking lot on Morrissey. Look for the blue flag.
• If you have further questions, reach out to Katrina at: katrinamartin9787@gmail.com, or call her at 617-721-1540.

Committee Reports

• Events Committee (Alix Giannetti, Michelle Miller)
  • Plant and Bake Sale on May 20 at Cristo Rey from 9 Am- 1 PM – The committee is supporting the Beautification Committee with this event.
  • Dorchester Day Parade, Sunday, June 4, 1 PM start – CSHCA should have a presence at the parade either by being in it or setting up a table. 
    • Members preferred the table option saying we should aim for a float for next year.
    • Estimated cost for T-shirts, candy, and stickers is $900. The T-shirts and sticker come to about $500. The committee will try to get sponsors to cover some costs.
      • It was suggested members can order and pay for their own T-shirt.
      • One member recommended Zazzle.com, an online site where you could upload the t-shirt logo to a “print on demand” place, whereby people could order what they want individually in the size and style they want.
  • The Community Picnic, Saturday, August 12, Noon – 5 PM
    • The committee is planning on bands, food, raffles and games.
    • Sponsors from last year will be approached along with potential new sponsors.

• Safety Committee (Dianne Lescinskas)
  • Dianne gave an update of the last meeting in April, to which John Ulrich from ISD Environmental Services came.
  • John spoke about the rat problem and measures that were being taken.
    • Over 30 problem properties were identified, whose owners are currently being engaged with.
    • Call 311 (or use the app) for any overflowing trash problems or signs of rat activity. Calls will be relayed to his office for a quick response.
    • He shared tips for preventing rat infestation, including picking up and proper disposal of dog feces, which is a food source for rats.
    • For more information see the minutes from the meeting, posted on the CSHCA website.

• Beautification Committee (Elizabeth Doyle)
  • The Plant and Bake Sale and Plant Swap will take place on Saturday, May 20, in front of Cristo Rey from 9 AM-1PM.
    • There will be planters, hangers, herbs, annuals and perennials for sale, as well as baked goods from members and businesses.
    • There will be a free plant swap table to exchange plants from neighborhood gardens – a good way to thin out plants and add new plants to your garden.
    • There will be raffle items as well.

• Community Benefits Committee (Don Walsh)
  • The focus of the next meeting on May 17, 7 PM at the Savin Hill Yacht Club on Morrissey will be:
    • How to spend $750,000
    • How to influence the city’s allocation of $100 million in community benefit money to benefit our neighborhood.
  • Members of CSHCA met with lawyers Jennifer Schultz and John Graham to discuss options on how best to manage the $750,000 that was offered to CHSCA.
    • They noted that we would need to update the CSHCA articles and structure to become a 501C3.
    • They will provide the pros and cons of the options that were discussed.

• Planning Committee (Kristine Hoag)
  • Tom Miller presented the plans for Venice Pizza to expand seating capacity by adding booths for indoor dining, and to acquire a beer/wine and cordial license. Renovations will all be internal. There is no possibility for any off-street parking. There will be no take-out window.
    • Membership voted unanimously to support this proposed development:
      • For 21
      • Against 0
      • Abstained 0
  • The next meeting is Tuesday, May 9, 7 PM
    • Southline seeks to add educational usage to their site.
    • Maureen Marotta at 86 Grampian Way will present plans for renovation work.

• Elections Committee (Mike Szkolka)
  • A slate for the Executive Board was presented for the following:
    • President – Elizabeth Doyle
    • Vice-President – X (no nomination)
    • Treasurer – Des Rohan
    • Recording Secretary – Doreen Miller
    • IT Manager – Taufiq Dhanani
    • 5 At-Large positions: Heidi Moesinger, Bill Walczak, David Butler, Mike Keamy, Donna McColgan, Marta Carney
  • As there was no nominee for VP, Marta Carney offered to take that position, making all positions unopposed.
    • A motion was made and seconded to accept the revised slate as presented. No vote was tallied as some discussion ensued.
    • A ballot for the updated slate was posted in the chat for people to vote on. There was some confusion as to how to vote.
    • A motion was made and seconded to table the vote until June, so that the slate can be distributed to the membership prior to voting due to the confusion around the voting. This was not voted on.

Other Business

• All meeting minutes are posted and accessible on the CSHCA website.
• The new E-Board needs to commit to getting people from the other side of the bridge more involved as governance and leadership positions are heavily weighted towards OTB folks.
• A member suggested that the at-large E-Board seats be filled by a mix of homeowners and tenants as it would be more representative as opposed to OTB vs. Avenue side.