Baker-Polito Administration Highlights Nearly $9 Million in Three MassWorks Awards for Boston

ROXBURY – Tuesday, February 15, 2022 – Today, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy and Mayor Michelle Wu were joined by state and local officials to highlight the city of Boston’s three MassWorks Infrastructure Program awards. In total, the city of Boston is receiving approximately $9 million for the three awards: $3.5 million for utility upgrades in support of the Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment Project in Charlestown, $4 million for street and utility upgrades required for the Mildred Hailey Apartments Redevelopment Project and $1.5 million to support design and permitting for a major transit-oriented development on the site of the Blair Parking Lot in Roxbury.    Today’s announcement was held at the Blair Parking Lot in Nubian Square. On this site, the $1.5 million MassWorks award will be combined with $3.5 million in private financing to fully fund all necessary work through the final design for a transformative project with spaces for cultural, entertainment, and artistic uses. The project, known as “Nubian Square Ascends,” is a $111 million private investment that will result in a transit-oriented development with a new public way and plaza, multi-modal accommodations, a 300-space parking garage and 135,000 square feet of commercial space for uses ranging from culinary to lab to cultural purposes. The buildout of Nubian Square Ascends is expected to create or sustain approximately 900 jobs and will include contracting opportunities for minority- and women-owned business enterprises during all phases of construction.    “This combination of awards through the MassWorks program provides critical support for Boston’s plans for commercial development in Nubian Square, as well as investments for housing in Charlestown and Jamaica Plain,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Our Administration is grateful for our partners at the local level that made this possible and we look forward to these transformative projects becoming a reality.”     “Our Administration continues to support plans that unlock new opportunities for economic development and housing across the Commonwealth,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “Through the MassWorks program and partnerships like this one with the city of Boston, we can continue to work together to achieve locally-driven economic growth.”    “These MassWorks grants will provide critical funding to redevelop affordable housing, and create local economic development that supports good jobs for our residents,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “This year’s MassWorks awards will help us move forward with providing housing in neighborhoods throughout the city. Boston’s residents and families deserve safe, clean, quality affordable housing, and this funding will help support the renovations and revitalization of thousands of units of deeply affordable housing.” MassWorks is a competitive program that offers cities and towns flexible capital funding to support and accelerate housing production and job growth. MassWorks is the largest program in Community One Stop for Growth, a single application portal and collaborative review process for grant programs launched in January 2021 to make targeted investments based on a development continuum.   “We created the One Stop to offer access to a wide variety of programs through a single, streamlined process that ensures that valuable funds can be directed more effectively, to more communities, in less time,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy. “The One Stop gives communities and other partners the opportunity to work collaboratively with us, to pursue multiple projects simultaneously and to meet their economic development goals. The city of Boston has demonstrated how applicants can be creative with grant funding to maximize the impact of state investments in transformative projects. While the first year of the One Stop has shown tremendous promise, the demand for our programs demonstrates that we can do more.”   "Nubian Square Ascends will bring cultural vitality and increase access to new jobs here in Roxbury,” said Representative Jon Santiago.  “I am thrilled that this infrastructure award will help advance this exciting project while further supporting the many artists, entrepreneurs, and local businesses that call Nubian Square home."   In addition to the city’s Nubian Square award, Boston received a $3.5 million MassWorks grant for utility upgrades in Charlestown to support the Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment Project. The utility work will trigger the start of the redevelopment project’s first phase, which calls for the demolition of six residential buildings that date back to the early 1940s and the construction of two new buildings. The new buildings will result in the replacement of 156 units of affordable housing as well as the addition of 194 new units of market-rate housing. At full buildout, the redevelopment project will lead to the replacement of all 1,100 existing units of public housing, the addition of 1,600 new units of market-rate housing and approximately 73,000 square feet of civic and neighborhood retail space.    "The Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment Project in Charlestown will provide necessary and long-awaited housing improvements for the community including the revitalization of the existing housing unit, upgrades in infrastructure, and the creation of new critical community and civic space,” said Senator Sal DiDomenico. “I am pleased that this project was awarded the resources it needs to build a space that is accessible, affordable and enjoyable for all residents in the area."   “These MassWorks funds will go a long way toward building a vibrant, inclusive mixed-use community at Bunker Hill while preserving Public Housing units to some of our more vulnerable residents,” said Representative Dan Ryan.  “I would like to thank all involved in making Phase 1 of this project a closer reality.”   The city’s third MassWorks award is $4 million for street and utility improvements that will support the Mildred Hailey Apartments Redevelopment Project, which plans to construct 673 units of new and replacement mixed-income housing through a public-private partnership over a 10-year period. Specific improvements include a new roadway, utility extensions, an expansion of multi-modal accommodations and public green space. These improvements will enhance transportation safety and neighborhood connectivity, including pedestrian connections to the MBTA’s Jackson Square Station and Southwest Corridor Park. In addition to housing, the Mildred Hailey project will include a 6,800-square-foot community center and approximately 8,300 square feet of neighborhood retail space at full buildout.    “Mildred Hailey has long provided a home for a rich and vibrant community in Jackson Square. It has welcomed new cultures and sustained generations of families for many years,” said Representative Liz Malia. “I am delighted by the investment being made in this important cornerstone of our Jamaica Plain community and glad that such a substantial investment reminds us of the need for housing for all in our neighborhoods.”   "I’m so grateful for the Governor’s partnership on ending housing inequity in my district,” said Representative Nika Elugardo. “The residents of Mildred C. Hailey have invested for decades in this very valuable land and deserve a return on their investment. This $4 million is a relatively large grant for MassWorks, and we are very appreciative of this along with the $50 million invested by Mayor Wu. Mildred C. Hailey has over $175 million in unmet needs, and I look forward to continued state and city partnership to get the job done."   "By responding to the community's vision and prioritizing good jobs and wealth creation opportunities for local residents, the Nubian Ascends project is an example of the BPDA's commitment to using public land for public good," said BPDA Director Brian Golden. "These three MassWorks grants will allow transformational projects that will result in hundreds of units of affordable housing and community-centered economic development the ability to move forward."   In addition to the city’s MassWorks awards, two other Boston-based organizations received awards through the One Stop.    CommonWealth Kitchen, in partnership with the Boston Planning and Development Agency, received a $100,000 Urban Agenda grant to develop a Launchpad for three BIPOC-owned food businesses to operate vendor kiosks at the MIT Student Center. In addition, CWK will partner with Sodexo Dining Services at the Colleges of the Fenway to launch a campus retail outlet and campus food trucks.   The Community Music Center of Boston received a $65,000 Urban Agenda award to support youth workforce development programs during this academic year. Under a program plan designed to be equitable and culturally inclusive, program participants will receive paid wages from participating in artistic projects, professional development and workforce training in the arts sector.   Learn more about the most recent round of MassWorks and One Stop awards.

波士頓市獲900萬元「MassWorks」經費 將分給3項可負擔住宅計畫

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu

              (Boston Orange) 波士頓市在2月15日這天宣佈獲得「麻州工作 (MassWorks)」補助款9百萬元，” 努必恩廣場 (Nubian Square)” ，” 查理士城 (Charlestown)” ，以及” 牙買加平原 (Jamaica Plain) 等3處空地及公屋將可因而重生。

              波士頓市長吳弭指出，在這3項發展計畫中，努必恩廣場的Nubian Ascends大樓將用150萬元來把空置的停車場，改建成當地的藝術、文化及企業樞紐，把工作、生意機會，以及玩耍空間帶給洛士百利居民。

              查理士城那兒，波士頓房屋局位於邦克丘 (Bunker Hill)，有1000護單位的公屋，亟須翻修。350萬元將用於更新水電設施，資助為當地居民建造公園及開放空間，零售空間的工程。

              在查理士城的建築工程，將有多個階段，多種用途的建設，包括建造一個有15個單位的住宅。一旦竣工，整個項目將有2699個住宅單位，其中1010戶將深度可負擔。1689戶將為市價單位。另有100個波士頓房屋局單位，將建在查理士城的另一個地點。這一工程將為地方居民建成大約2.7英畝的公共開放空間，約5萬英呎的商用空間，以及社區中心。

              牙買加平原那兒，波士頓市政府將把現有253個單位的Mildred Hailey公屋，改建新的，有420個單位，收入有限制的出租單位。並支用400萬元來建新道路及綠地，更新水電設施。

MAYOR WU CELEBRATES MASSWORKS FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY-FOCUSED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN NUBIAN SQUARE, JAMAICA PLAIN, AND CHARLESTOWN

BOSTON - Tuesday, February 15, 2022 - Mayor Michelle Wu joined Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy, local elected officials, the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA), the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), and the Nubian Ascends development team and other grant awardees at the Blair Lot in Roxbury to celebrate nearly $9 million in MassWorks funding for economic development and housing projects in Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, and Charlestown. “These MassWorks grants will provide critical funding to redevelop affordable housing, and create local economic development that supports good jobs for our residents,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “This year’s MassWorks awards will help us move forward with providing housing in neighborhoods throughout the city. Boston’s residents and families deserve safe, clean, quality affordable housing, and this funding will help support the renovations and revitalization of thousands of units of deeply affordable housing.” The MassWorks Infrastructure Program, administered by the Commonwealth’s Executive Office for Housing and Economic Development (EOHED) is a competitive program that offers cities and towns flexible capital funding to support and accelerate housing production and job growth. MassWorks is the largest program in Community One Stop for Growth, a single application portal and collaborative review process for grant programs launched in January 2021 to make targeted investments based on a development continuum.   “This combination of awards through the MassWorks program will provide critical support for Boston’s plans for major commercial development in Nubian Square, as well as significant investments in mixed-income housing in Charlestown and Jamaica Plain,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy.  “Through partnerships like this one with the city of Boston, we can continue to foster economic growth while ensuring the positive impacts of these investments are felt in all neighborhoods in Boston and across Massachusetts.” Nubian Ascends  The Nubian Square Ascends Project will create a new regional destination that celebrates the rich diversity of Nubian Square with a marketplace to support neighborhood businesses and local artisans, a food hall with an on-site culinary program, and a multipurpose cultural hall and theater. The project is receiving $1.5 million in MassWorks funding to go towards design and permitting. The project, located on the BPDA-owned Blair Lot parking lot in Roxbury’s Nubian Square, responds to the community vision laid out through the BPDA’s planning initiative for the neighborhood, PLAN: Nubian Square, and includes a comprehensive wealth-creation plan creating approximately 900 permanent jobs and contract opportunities for Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE) during all phases of the project. The proposal meets the BPDA and City of Boston’s diversity and inclusion requirements for publicly-owned land to create increased opportunities for people of color, women, and for the participation of Minority Business Enterprises (M/BEs).  "By responding to the community's vision and prioritizing good jobs and wealth creation opportunities for local residents, the Nubian Ascends project is an example of the BPDA's commitment to using public land for public good," said BPDA Director Brian Golden. "These three MassWorks grants will allow transformational projects that will result in hundreds of units of affordable housing and community-centered economic development the ability to move forward."  BHA’s Mildred Hailey and Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment The other two projects that were awarded Massworks funding are the restoration and redevelopments of Boston Housing Authority complexes in Jamaica Plain and Charlestown. “We’re building new homes for public housing residents in Charlestown and Jamaica Plain, and that requires more than just buildings,” BHA Administrator Kate Bennett said. “These grants will help us to create the vital supporting infrastructure that ensures that these new communities will thrive into the future.” The redevelopment of the Mildred Hailey Apartments in Jamaica Plain will replace 253 existing public housing units and construct 420 new income-restricted rental units at a range of income-levels. The MassWorks grant funding will provide $4 million for street and utility upgrades required for the project. Specific improvements include a new roadway, utility extensions, an expansion of multi-modal accommodations and public green space. These improvements will enhance transportation safety and neighborhood connectivity, including pedestrian connections to the MBTA’s Jackson Square Station and Southwest Corridor Park. Tenants of the 253 public housing units slated for replacement will have a right to return and live in new units once the project is completed. The project will also construct a new Anna Mae Cole Community Center and Anna Mae Cole Outdoor Plaza to provide prominent gathering spaces for all residents of Mildred Hailey. Ground floor space along Heath Street and Centre Street will be allocated for community programming and neighborhood retail. These spaces will activate the streetscape and connect residents of Mildred Hailey Apartments and residents of the surrounding neighborhood. In Charlestown, following a nearly five-year community process and with support of local elected officials and the Charlestown Resident Alliance, over 1,000 income-restricted public housing units will be preserved as part of the Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment. The $3.5 million awarded by MassWorks will fund utility upgrades on site that will trigger the start of the redevelopment project’s first phase, which calls for the demolition of six residential buildings that date back to the early 1940s and construction of two new buildings. Existing residents will be provided with replacement housing during the construction process, and will be allowed to return to a BHA replacement housing unit following the completion of construction. The project will construct a new, multi-phase, mixed-use development that will include 15 residential buildings. Once complete, the total project will consist of 2,699 residential units, 1,010 of which will be deeply affordable, BHA replacement units and 1,689 of which will be market-rate. An additional 100 BHA units will be relocated off-site in Charlestown. The project will also create approximately 2.7 acres of publicly-accessible open space, approximately 50,000 square feet of commercial space, and a community center. 波士頓市宣佈獲Mass Works經費記者會圖片來自推特。

波士頓體育俱樂部同意付6萬2千餘罰款 會員有望獲退款

AG HEALEY SECURES REFUNDS FOR FORMER BOSTON SPORTS CLUB MEMBERS WRONGFULLY CHARGED BY WORK OUT WORLD

Work Out World Purchased Accounts from BSC and Charged Thousands of Consumers Without Their Consent; Company Will Provide Full Refunds and Pay $62,500 in Penalties

 

BOSTON – As part of her ongoing litigation against Boston Sports Club (BSC), Attorney General Maura Healey announced today that Work Our World (WOW) has agreed to pay $62,500 in penalties, in addition to providing full refunds for thousands of consumers, to resolve claims that the fitness gym purchased BSC memberships and subsequently charged consumers without their consent.

 

The consent judgment, entered in Suffolk Superior Court, alleges that, following BSC’s closure and subsequent bankruptcy during the COVID-19 pandemic, V Fitness, LLC and One Fitness, LLC (both d/b/a Work Out World), located in Waltham and Canton, improperly assumed over 3,100 BSC memberships without the consumers’ written consent. Massachusetts state laws prohibit the assignment of a contract from one health club to another without the written consent of the buyer.

 

“At a time when consumers were being strung along by BSC, Work Out World created another hassle for consumers by forcing them to either pay for or cancel gym memberships they never signed up for,” AG Healey said. “Today's settlement secures full refunds for thousands of consumers who were impacted by Work Out World’s unlawful practices.”

 

According to the AG’s complaint, BSC did not obtain written consent from consumers to transfer their gym memberships to WOW, as required by the Commonwealth’s Health Club Act. Upon receipt of the memberships, WOW did not confirm that consumers had consented to the transfer. WOW also sent misleading emails to consumers about their membership status and improperly charged consumers for memberships that they did not agree to.

 

Under the terms of the AG’s settlement, WOW is required to void any membership contracts obtained from BSC for their Waltham and Canton locations and provide full refunds to any of these consumers who were wrongfully charged membership fees after their accounts were transferred without their consent. WOW has already begun providing tens of thousands of dollars in refunds to consumers upon request, and all remaining impacted consumers will be fully refunded automatically. WOW must also pay $62,500 in penalties for their role in this case. Failure to comply with the terms of the settlement could trigger an additional penalty of $62,500.

 

The AG’s Office became aware of the membership transfers through its BSC investigation. The AG’s lawsuit against BSC and the remaining defendants, including New TSI Holdings, Inc. and former CEO Patrick Walsh, remains ongoing.

 

In November 2020, AG Healey sued BSC after the company charged consumers for membership dues when the gyms were closed, repeatedly failed to honor consumers’ membership cancellation requests, and refused to refund impacted consumers as it originally promised.  In March 2021, the AG’s Office secured $127,000 in refunds for hundreds of BSC members through the company’s bankruptcy process.

 

Consumers with questions about their refunds can contact WOW’s Member Services at 781-785-0168 or contact the AG’s Office at 617- 727-8400.

 

This case is being handled by Division Chief Shennan Kavanagh and Assistant Attorneys General Ann E. Lynch and Matthew Lashof-Sullivan, of AG Healey’s Consumer Protection Division, with assistance from Senior Investigator Colleen Frost from the AG’s Civil Investigations Division.

紐英崙中華公所慶虎年新春 九獅齊舞

儘管瑞雪紛飛，熱情群眾蜂擁雲集，波士頓華埠2月13日這天熱鬧無比。(周菊子攝)

嘉賓與獅隊代表合影。(周菊子攝)

紐英崙中華公所主席雷國輝指著滿天雪花說這是瑞雪迎豐年的好預兆。雷國輝在活動
結束後，稱許中華公所團隊及義工們一大早七點，就趕到會場佈置場地。(周菊子攝)

             (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導) 紐英崙中華公所在2月13日瑞雪飄飄，鞭炮劈啪，鑼鼓齊鳴之中，邀集州市政要，台北駐波士頓經文處首長在一年一度的農曆新年舞獅大會主台上，與9個舞獅團隊一起向大波士頓民眾拜年。

              今年的9個舞獅隊伍包括波士頓洪青體育會，華林派，巾幗醒獅隊，洪家功夫少林超武館，廣教中文學校，黃強醒獅隊，黃氏公所醒獅隊，南派武館，胡清白鶴派。

              紐英崙中華公所的中英文書記，翁宇才和阮鴻燦為舞獅大會的開幕式分任司儀，先敦請做為主人家的中華公所主席雷國輝，再敦請波士頓市長吳弭，麻州眾議員暨眾議會財政委員會主席麥家威 (Aaron Michlewitz)，眾議員黃子安，波士頓市議會主席愛德華費林 (Ed Flynn)，波士頓市不分區市議員Erin Murphy，駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦事處處長孫儉元等一一致詞。

波士頓市長吳弭抱著小兒子向大家拜年。(周菊子攝)

              中華公所主席雷國輝的致詞簡單扼要，以「瑞雪迎瑞獅，風雪貴人來」開頭，以祝福所有人「虎年虎虎生威，健康快樂」收尾。

              波士頓市長吳弭抱著小兒子，先以普通話說「各位來賓，各位朋友，大家好，新年快樂。非常非常榮幸能夠跟大家慶祝新年，慶祝今年的虎年」。她接著轉以英語說，很榮幸能代表波士頓市政府及社區，在這兒和大家一起迎接瑞雪豐年，這2022年的虎年，介紹新任的波士頓市府華埠聯絡員 Chu Huang，請大家支持地方商家，早日走出新冠病毒的疫情陰霾，慶祝新年後，到華埠的餐館用餐，買買東西。她接著再以中文說，想祝大家新年快樂，身體健康。

波士頓經文處處長孫儉元致詞。(周菊子攝)

              波士頓經文處處長孫儉元的致詞，先以廣東話開頭，說他很高興來參加今日的舞獅，接著轉以英文說農曆新年是”我們”文化中很重要的一部分，所以他要謝謝紐英崙中華公所藉由舉辦這活動來維持傳統，並代表中華民國在台灣政府向大家拜年，接著再以廣東話祝大家「虎年安康，萬事如意」，以普通話說「狗年行大運」。

              波士頓市議會議長愛德華費林不但自己祝賀大家新年，還特別提及麻州參議員Mike Collins，以及原本是波士頓市議員，剛當選麻州參議員的Lydia Edwards 雖然不能親自到場，也想向大家祝賀新年。他還特地指出必須正視過去二年多來的反亞裔種族歧視，他們以還有很多工作要做，以確保全民移民社區的聲音都被人聽見。他很高興能代表這個社區。

與波士頓華埠有直屬關係的三大政客，左起麻州眾議員麥家威 (Aaron Michlewitz)、
波士頓市長吳弭 (Michelle Wu)，波士頓市議會議長 Ed Flynn 齊聚華埠慶祝新年舞台。
(周菊子攝)

              麥家威也以廣東話說「恭喜發財」。他說參加這新年舞獅活動已13年，今年還是第一次遇上下雪。他也說在疫情還未消退，仍需對抗之際，大家還有更多工作要做。

              黃子安的致詞更簡短扼要。他以廣東話說了「恭喜發財」後，以英文繼續說他要祝福大家發財，健康，快樂。今年是虎年，大家要堅強、向前。

              致詞儀式後，9個獅隊魚貫進入主台前事先圍出來的擂台場地，輪番舞動，各顯功夫的向主台上的嘉賓們拜年，拋象徵吉祥的橘子，從嘉賓那兒收取壓歲紅包。波士頓市長吳弭的兩個小兒子看得最是開心。

麻州眾議員黃子安(中)不但是政要，還是波士頓南派創辦人。(周菊子攝)

              今年的舞獅，各獅隊幾乎都有「掌門人」坐鎮，洪青體育會有胡振勝 (Ted Woo)，南派有黃子安，華林派有Bob Rosen和余翠梅，巾幗醒獅隊有陳清音，超武館有胡炳超，黃氏宗親會有元老黃國威，胡清白鶴派有胡衛正等人指揮獅隊，在波士頓華埠的必珠街，泰勒街，乞臣街，夏利臣街，華盛頓街等街道上，向商家拜年，一路上鑼鼓喧天，鞭炮聲不絕，熱鬧極了。

              這天波士頓市政府的冬日送暖列出，也從波士頓華埠出發，在華埠牌樓前擺出攤位，送書，送熱飲品，甚至點心給過往民眾。包裝在紅色廂型車內的”流動”波士頓市政府，也在到場2小時內派發出150多份新冠病毒居家檢測盒。

波士頓市長吳弭也拿出手機來記錄難得的飄雪中舞獅景觀。

華林派首位女師傅余翠梅發壓歲錢給瑞獅。

美國洪門致公堂總理余麗媖(右)發壓歲錢給瑞獅。(周菊子攝)

波士頓警察局副局長陳孔恩(James Chin，左一)等人協助維持秩序。(周菊子攝)

波士頓市長吳弭的兒子，Balise Francis Pewarski 和Cass 超近距離看舞獅，

體會農曆新年滋味。(周菊子攝)

和波士頓華埠福祉最休戚相關的3名政要，左起，麻州眾議員暨財政委員會主席麥家威
(Aaron Michlewitz)，波士頓市長吳弭 (Michelle Wu)，波士頓市議會議長愛德華費林
(Ed Flynn)。(周菊子攝)

波士頓市長吳弭發壓歲錢給小瑞獅。(周菊子攝)

今年的舞獅隊中出現超級幼獅，特別可愛。

陳清音創辦的巾幗醒獅團仍然是大波士頓內唯一的全女班舞獅團。(周菊子攝)

黃強醒獅隊來自昆士市。(周菊子攝)

波士頓華埠慶祝新年的放鞭炮，引來2輛消防車。(周菊子攝)

波士頓市長的冬日送暖列車，2月13日從華埠出發，還請氣球大師來給小朋友們增添歡樂。
(周菊子攝)

波士頓華埠主街的青年義工們在波士頓市府的冬日送暖列車活動中，
協助波士頓公共圖書館擺攤送書。(周菊子攝)

會場上擺出送贈的書籍有這些。(周菊子攝)

包裝在紅色廂型車中的波士頓市流動市政府，2月13日開到華埠牌樓前，派發點心，暖手寶，
還有新冠病毒居家檢測盒。(周菊子攝)

洪青體育會瑞獅向商家拜年。(周菊子攝)

瑞獅拜年還會擺出生菜，橘子討個吉祥意頭。(周菊子攝)

洪青體育會的鏢旗。

超武館的旗幟在瑞雪中飄揚。(周菊子攝)

波士頓市流動市政府這天派發的新冠病毒檢測盒。(周菊子攝)

麻州州政府大樓預定2月22日重新開放

 (Boston Orange 編譯) 從新冠病毒大流行發生，關上大門，過了2年後，麻州州政府大樓終於要重新開放了，預定日期是2月22日。

          麻州參議會議長Karen E. Spilka和麻州眾議會議長Ronald Mariano今日發出聲明，稱民眾如果戴了口罩，能夠出示已接種新冠疫苗的證明，或是持有不超過1天的檢測陰性結果，就可以進入麻州州政府大樓。

          他倆在聲明中表示，「由於公共安全數據不斷變化，我們將會每週評估這些規定，我們期待著在州政府大樓內見到人民」。

          這似乎是麻州參眾倆會互相妥協後的結果。

          麻州是美國本土境內最後一個州政府大樓仍然對公眾關閉的州。

          根據州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)辦公室，在麻州，大部分的州有樓宇，以及議會區域辦公室都已經重新開放，提供真人服務。但州政府大樓只開放給已獲認證的新聞記者，議員及州府官員和員工。

          波士頓環球報稱，查理貝克上星期在一次記者會中表示，他並不支持得有接種疫苗證明才能進入樓宇的規定。

Danielle Allen 呼籲麻州長做4事以保師生安全

With Two Weeks To Go Till School Mask Mandate Lifts, Four Things Gov. Baker Must Continue to Expand To Keep Students & Staff Safe

Boston, MA — On Monday, Massachusetts marks the start of a two-week countdown towards Gov. Baker’s target date to lift school mask mandates. Gubernatorial candidate and national pandemic response leader Danielle Allen is calling for key measures to keep students and staff safe through this transition and support safe, healthy in-person learning, including:

• A steady supply of rapid testing for schools across the Commonwealth so all schools have the support they need to monitor for any rise in cases and sound an alarm as needed.

• Age-appropriate KN95 masks for any educator, staff member, or student who wants one. As schools become mask-optional, we need to make sure everyone has the space to make personal choices around caution and safety — and providing high-quality masks is critical to making that possible.

• More support and partnership for community vaccination drives in communities with low vaccination rates. In communities where vaccination rates remain low — especially for people age 50 and up, who are more vulnerable to COVID — the state government needs to step up and provide more support to help communities clear that threshold for more community-wide protection and guard against any rise in transmission.

• Aggressive monitoring of key indicators, including hospitalizations and wastewater data, and any new variants. Mask mandates are an important tool in our public health toolkit. Going forward, we need to closely track COVID levels and any new developments, and be prepared to use important tools like mask mandates to mitigate any future surges and ensure schools can continue safe, healthy in-person learning.

“Over the last two years, this pandemic has shown us over and over again that we need to take smart, proactive steps to buffer against COVID — and think long-term about how to keep our communities safe and healthy,” said gubernatorial candidate Danielle Allen. “As Governor Baker prepares to lift school mask mandates, I’m urging our state officials to look ahead and take action now to make this transition as smooth and safe as possible for our communities. We need to make sure high-quality masks are available for any student, teacher, or staff member who wants one, keep monitoring through widespread rapid testing and keep tracking indicators like wastewater, and step up with more support and partnership for community vaccination drives in communities with lower vaccination rates. This is about ensuring equitable pandemic resilience and making sure our schools can continue with safe, healthy in-person learning.”