MassHousing Loan Closings of $16.6 Million Will Preserve Affordability for Senior Citizens Living at the 135-Unit Beacon House on Beacon Hill

MassHousing Loan Closings of $16.6 Million Will Preserve Affordability for Senior Citizens Living at the 135-Unit Beacon House on Beacon Hill

Acquisition of the property by Rogerson Communities and covenants with the city of Boston will extend affordability in perpetuity

BOSTON – August 26, 2014 – Affordability for senior citizens living at the 135-unit Beacon House on Beacon Hill has been extended in perpetuity by the new ownership as a result of $16.6 million in MassHousing financing.

An affiliate of Rogerson Communities used the MassHousing loans to acquire Beacon House and in agreement with the city of Boston extend the affordability for the residents there for the life of the property. Without the MassHousing transaction and Rogerson Communities creating a new general partner entity the affordability at Beacon House was at risk.

"Beacon House is an important source of affordable housing for senior citizens living on Beacon Hill and now that affordability will be extended in perpetuity," said MassHousing Executive Director Thomas R. Gleason. "The property is in very good condition and Rogerson Communities has made a major commitment to providing quality affordable housing to the elderly residents who live there by working with the city of Boston to ensure the affordability there for the life of the property."

MassHousing provided a $14 million permanent loan and a $2.6 million subordinate loan. The property was originally financed by MassHousing in 1983 and the loan matured in October 2013. The owner has also renewed the 20-year Section 8 Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract for 85 apartments occupied by low-income seniors and 32 apartments are regulated by the Boston Redevelopment Authority and rented to individuals with low and moderate incomes. The remaining 18 apartments are subject to a long-term lease with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) for use by out-of-town patients and visitors.

The property is located at 19 Myrtle St. and is comprised of 126 studio apartments and 9 one-bedroom apartments in two semi-attached, eight-story brick and stone buildings. The property has five ground-floor commercial spaces and common facilities include an atrium, roof deck, community room, library and computer lab with professional classes for residents. The owner provides free office space to Beacon Hill Village, a service provider that assists seniors with living independently. MGH operates a community-based health promotion program and Kit Clark Senior Services runs a meals program out of the property for the Beacon Hill Community.

"Beacon House is a unique and critical source of affordable housing for senior citizens living on Beacon Hill. The neighborhood and city shared our vision and urgency of preserving in perpetuity this magnificent resource for the residents living there now and for the residents who will live there many years into the future," said Rogerson Communites Principal James F. Seagle, Jr.

About Rogerson Communities

Rogerson Communities is a non-profit organization that has been providing housing and health care for the elderly and low-income individuals since it was founded in 1860. The organization serves more than 1,500 Greater Boston families through 25 facilities and programs. Services include housing and real estate development, health and fitness and Alzheimer's and memory loss programs.

About MassHousing

MassHousing (The Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency) is an independent, quasi-public agency created in 1966 and charged with providing financing for affordable housing in Massachusetts. The Agency raises capital by selling bonds and lends the proceeds to low- and moderate-income homebuyers and homeowners, and to developers who build or preserve affordable and/or mixed-income rental housing. MassHousing does not use taxpayer dollars to sustain its operations, although it administers some publicly funded programs on behalf of the Commonwealth. Since its inception, MassHousing has provided more than $17 billion for affordable housing. For more information, visit the MassHousing website at www.masshousing.com, follow us on Twitter @MassHousing, subscribe to our blog and Like us on Facebook.

廣教學校暑期班"蒸“得有特色

中華廣教學校上週五（22日）以文娛表演，海報展示，慶祝本年度暑期班圓滿落幕。校長曾秀芬笑指“蒸（STEAM）“過了的學生們，視野更廣，學習力更強，

            廣教學校今年的暑期班，借用學校系統強調科學，科技，工程，數學而流行起來的STEM這個詞，加上藝術後，擴展成為“STEAM“項目，聘請了在西蒙斯大學就讀的曾祖兒，在萊斯利（Lesley）大學就讀的司徒嘉穎，在東北大學就讀的伍嘉輝，在布萊頓（Brighton）高中當物理老師的雷展涵等人，為就讀暑期班的學生，設計了很有特色的課程內容，包括教學生們認識水這物質在世界中怎麼循環存在，海洋中的水，怎樣蒸發升空，凝聚成雲，再分解成為濕氣，降落到地面，海裏，進而把教學內容從科學延伸到環境保護等。

            該校老師表示，今年的暑期班共分兩期，從六月三十日到七月廿五日，以及七月廿八日到八月廿二日，不但有英文，數學，中文，還有校外實地考察活動（field trip），選修項目。所有課程都針對“如何來到這個地步（How did we get here）”，“如何往後發展（How do we go forward）”來設計，還儘量配合公立學校九月開學後的教學內容，注重手腦併用。

            在上課之外，所有的學生每天都參加學校安排的表演藝術，繪畫，運動及思考等四種類型活動，包括唱歌劇，拉小提琴，彈揚琴、彈古箏，畫素描或水彩，水墨國畫，寫書法，創作音樂，設計機器人，打橋牌，打兵乓球，扯鈴，有很多選擇。

            在校外實地考察部分，廣教學校今年的安排更是多姿多彩，不但去圖書館，逛兒童博物館，還長途跋涉到塞冷鎮的碧波地(Peabody)館，普利茅斯種植園，茶博物館，自由徑博物館，波士頓美術博物館，麻省理工學院博物館，Drumlin農場，新英格蘭水族館，因盧梭而出名的瓦爾登湖（Walden Pond）等。

            曾秀芬今年還開辦考前輔導班，幫助要升讀重點高中或升大學的學生做準備。

圖片說明：

            廣教學校教打鼓的老師郭榮臻（右起）幫曾祖兒，司徒嘉穎，伍嘉輝，雷展涵等老師準備展覽海報。（菊子攝）

太陽花衍生多個社運團體 島國前進要先修公投法

        台灣的“太陽花”運動還在發酵，大波士頓僑民，學子心緒仍受牽動。林飛帆，陳為廷等五名太陽花學生廿四日抵達波士頓舉行的兩場晤談會，再度形成熱潮，吸引將近三百人出席，探討可以為台灣的未來做什麼。

        從“反媒體壟斷聯盟”過渡到“太陽花運動”，如今和黃昌國，陳為廷等人組成“島國前進”的林飛帆，廿四日在哈佛大學燕京圖書館，從下午四點半一直進行到將近八點的“撒種迎旭日---太陽花的蓄勢與動靜”晤談會中指出，“島國前進”目前的重點活動是“修訂公投法”。

            他在回應出席者提問時，坦言“換國旗，改國號”都不是當務之急。“島國前進”希望明年春天時能拿到十萬份連署書，再回到立法院施壓，要求修改憲法，廢除公投法第三十條所規定的“百分之五十投票率“，以及提案修憲需要十萬人連署等門檻，期以補充代議政治的不足，改變很多議題難以提交公投，付諸民意表决的現狀。

            林飛帆坦言，萬一”修訂公投法“的呼籲失敗了，未來會怎麼做，他也沒答案。

林飛帆、陳為廷、周馥儀、賴品妤和賴郁棻等五名學生，都是從今年三月十八日“太陽花運動”中的代表人物，在太陽花事件後，分別與其他同伴組成了「島國前進」，自我定位為左獨的「黑色島國青年陣線」等社會運動組織。此行是應北美洲台灣然教授協會(NAPTA)之邀，為該會年會發表演講後，再應台灣人公共事務會（FAPA）之邀，到舊金山、密西根、華府、波士頓、紐約等地巡迴演講，預計廿九日回台灣。

其中的林飛帆因跳入社會運動，臺大政治碩士念了四年，迄今還未能完成畢業論文。周馥儀在修臺大歷史博士，陳為廷是清華大學人文社會系本科生，賴品妤是臺北大學進修部法律系一年級學生，賴郁棻是清華中文系一年級學生。

台灣人公共事務會麻州分會的前任會長鍾佳君，現任會長張皓博透露，為因應本地台灣鄉親，本地學子的交通需求，前述五人在廿四日這天，分別到勒星頓鎮和哈佛大學燕京圖書館舉行了兩場晤談會。

據悉，由於老一輩和年輕一輩的成長背景，對台灣的社會環境認知頗不相同，兩場晤談會的討論重點有不小差異。

在勒星頓的那場晤談，許多出席者期許年輕人承擔起改革台灣重任。在哈佛這場，許多人希望聽進一步的解釋，問從體制內改革，可以做什麼，在海外的人能怎麼出力等。

在哈佛的這場晤談會中，林飛帆承認社會中有人批評他們反對很多議題，卻沒拿出對策，也沒有明確政治議程，但“太陽花運動”能造成他們始料未及的這種聲勢，讓他們認為那是一個個議題累積出來的能量，他們希望繼續為這股能量提供助力，請熱心的經濟學家，產業結構專家，來提出改革做法。

他們目前的困境是面對許多問題，拿不出答案，譬如他自己的理想是台灣應走向成為社會福利國家，但他本人還沒有做世界各國福利制度的充分相關研究，無法提出更實在的主張。他只能說明確反對台灣成為中國大陸那樣的國家。

會議主持之一的杜荷洲在會中指出，海外有不少人很想聽聽他們對“追求民主”和“追求獨立”是否可以劃上等號，和中國統一有什麼不好的想法。陳為廷認為，民主必須本土化，台灣在實質上是一個主權國家，其實也不必公投建國，但應該防止中國侵略，應設法參加國際組織，打開國際空間。

針對他們此行訪美，很多人問到的“在海外的台灣人能做些什麼”，林飛帆等人表示，可做五件事，包括成立組織，以壯大力量；參與當地政治活動，介紹台灣文化民俗；關注在海外和在台灣發生的議題，有何異同，把海外的好方法帶回台灣去；搜集關於自由貿易，國際關係，經濟發展，憲政改革等各方面的理論資源；參加“修訂公投法”的連署。

            部分出席者稱許這些學生在台灣，海外激發的關心台灣時勢，政情，社會心情，卻也對學生批評多於建議，訴求議題不斷增加，失去明確焦點，略表失望。一名年長出席者以幽默敘述強調，看人看事都要看長期，他將持續關注林飛帆等人的將來行動。         

圖片說明：

            台灣人公共事務會現任會長張皓博（左二起），前任會長鍾佳君，周馥儀、陳為廷，林飛帆，賴品妤，杜荷洲，賴郁棻等講者，主辦者會後合影。（菊子攝）

            部分出席者和林飛帆等講者合影。（菊子攝）

            台灣人公共事務會現任會長張皓博（左），以及杜荷洲是哈佛大學這場座談的主持人。（菊子攝）

            台灣人在大波士頓辦的活動，平時難得見到這麼多人出席。（菊子攝）

            “撒種迎旭日”的太陽花座談，因燕京圖書館門還沒開，在草坪上先開始。（菊子攝）

            兩名主持人介紹五名講者。（菊子攝）

            杜荷洲身上穿的T恤，別的太陽花胸針，都是大波士頓在三月份支持太陽花運動時做的。（菊子攝）

            賴品妤做自我介紹。（菊子攝）

全美第一個 波士頓市加入國際城市數據委員會

波士頓市長馬丁華殊（Martin J. Walsh）昨（25）日宣佈，加入已有上海，倫敦，墨爾本，杜拜等十九個世界各國城市會員的國際城市數據委員會（World Council on City Data , 簡稱WCCD），將為研擬城市指標的國際標準攜手努力。

            波士頓市因此成為加入該會，作為創會夥伴之一的第一個美國城市。

            十九個會員城市包括阿曼（Amman），巴塞隆納（Barcelona），波哥大(

Bogota)，布宜諾斯（Buenos Aires），杜拜（Dubai），瓜達拉哈拉（Guadalajara），越南的海防（Haiphong），赫爾辛基（Helsinki），約翰尼斯堡（Johannesburg），倫敦，馬卡蒂（Makati），麥加（Makkah），墨爾本（Melbourne），尼日利亞的明納（Minna）, 鹿特丹（Rotterdam），聖保羅（Sao Paulo），上海，多倫多。

            國際城市數據委員會（WCCD）是今年五月在全球城市高峰會中成立的一個組織，以確保各城市間的城市測量標準化，有個一致，全面的協調平台。

。

            這一委員會將作為城市，國際組織，企業夥伴，以及學術機構在攜手打造更好，更適宜生活城市的全球學習合作樞紐，只在全球城市測量上打造一個開放數據平台，容許各城市在世界舞台上展示其進步過程。

            馬丁華殊表示，

WCCD會長暨執行長Patricia McCarney教授表示，該會很高興有波士頓市加入為創會城市之一。波士頓市將成為根據 ISO 37120 ，這國際城市認證標準所認證的第一批城市之一，也確認了波士頓市決心和世界上其他領先城市合作，開放城市數據， 做可持續發展。

            波士頓重建局的研究組將負責，並管理波士頓市參與WCCD的活動。

            波市府指出，WCCD的創建源起於為打造全球城市數據標準，已進行了七年的努力。第一個標準是今年五月份由位於日內瓦的國際標準組織（International Organization for Standardization）所公佈的ISO 37120。

前述共20個城市承諾要根據ISO 37120標準定義及方法，訂定46個核心指數，包括經濟，教育，能源，環境，金融，緊急回應，政府等等。核心城市指數還可能包括失業率，完成高中教育學生比率，平均壽命等。

            波士頓重建局研究組將在八月底前，和其他城市一起，把該會所要求的各項波士頓市數據，交給WCCD。在WCCD審核數據，確認了各城市都遵守了所同意的方法及標準後，倫敦市長Boris Johnson將在十一月時召開WCCD會議。

Mayor Walsh Launches Expanded Small Business Permit and Licensing Assistance

Mayor Walsh Launches Expanded Small Business Permit and Licensing Assistance 

BOSTON-- Mayor Martin J. Walsh is taking another step to ensure that business owners and entrepreneurs are able to successfully start and grow businesses in Boston. Digital kiosks have been installed at several agencies across the city that will connect constituents within two business days to City of Boston business development specialists, trained to help small businesses navigate the complex permitting and licensing system, and connect them with resources and technical assistance.

“I am committed to making sure that small businesses throughout Boston are supported from concept to launch, including the highest level of customer support through the permitting process,” said Mayor Walsh. “Technology is an important way to improve efficiency and provide people with the information they need. These kiosks are just one small part of improving the technology behind a better, more user-friendly permitting process.”

The seven kiosks have been placed at the Inspectional Services Department at 1010 Massachusetts Avenue, the Consumer Affairs and Licensing Department, the Boston Licensing Board, the Department of Neighborhood Development, and the Boston Redevelopment Authority at 1 City Hall Plaza, and the Boston Fire Department at 115 Southampton Street. The interface is also accessible online at http://businesshub.boston.gov/submitinquiry.

This reform is the latest improvement to Boston’s permitting and licensing system, led by Mayor Walsh’s interagency permitting team, which has been meeting regularly since February to improve the process, technology and tracking of permit applications citywide.

In August Mayor Walsh launched a joint effort with the Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) and the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM) to host the City’s first-ever Hubhacks Permitting Challenge. The civic-minded Hackathon kicked off a project to reinvent the City’s online permitting experience, one of the most common ways that Bostonians interact with the City of Boston, by reaching out to Boston’s tech community. 

In addition, Mayor Walsh recently announced the creation of a streamlined Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) process for small businesses and 1-2 family owner-occupied residential applications. A subcommittee of the Zoning Board of Appeals will meet bi-weekly on Thursday nights to hear zoning relief requests from small businesses and smaller residential projects. Previously, these meetings occurred less frequently, and these latest changes will aid small businesses and homeowners making renovations to their properties, by directing tailored attention to smaller projects and major developments.  

博士喜劇演員黃西 9/20, 21回紐約，波士頓演出

            It’s been a while since last time we communicated. For the past year I have been in China hosting a TV show while promoting American style standup comedy. This September, I will be doing a “Back to the USA!” standup comedy tour in Chinese in four US cities: LA, San Francisco, New York, and Boston. Details of the shows and ticketing information can be found on my websitewww.joewongcomedy.com
Please help me spread the word to whoever understands Chinese and hope to see you there!
Love you and many thanks!
Joe

亲爱的朋友们，
      好久没联系了，大家还好？在过去的一年多时间里我在中国。我主持了一档脱口秀求真类节目，并在中国推广美式脱口秀。而且尽管我身在中国，我一直在关注支持北美华人。我的《开什么国际玩笑》中文脱口秀北美巡演将于今年9月13日在洛杉矶，14日在三番，20，21日在纽约和波士顿火热开场。届时我会和大家分享过去一年在国内的见闻轶事，聊聊对两岸生活与文化的亲身体验, 和大家一起开怀大笑。票务及其它信息请登录黄西官网：www.joewongcomedy.com 中文演出的宣传途径较少，希望大家能帮我多做宣传。带上您的家人和朋友，我们剧场见！

Sincerly, Joe Wong

joewongcomedy.com