MAYOR WALSH AND BOSTON MAIN STREETS FOUNDATION ANNOUNCE INNOVATION AND IMPACT GRANTS

MAYOR WALSH AND BOSTON MAIN STREETS FOUNDATION ANNOUNCE INNOVATION AND IMPACT GRANTS

BOSTON - March 3, 2015 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today thanked the Boston Main Streets Foundation (BMSF) for awarding a total of $22,500 to five Boston Main Streets Districts. Through these grants, BMSF, which provides fundraising and additional funding to Boston’s Main Streets districts, will support a range of projects, including an art and music series, streetscape beautification, commercial district wayfinding signage, place making, and winter programming activities. The five Innovation and Impact Grants provide direct funding of up to $5,000 to innovative proposals that create new or enhanced programming, services, or partnership opportunities in Boston’s Main Streets districts. This is the fourth round of grants; a fifth round is scheduled for Spring 2015.

“The Boston Main Streets Foundation is tireless in helping support Boston’s small and local businesses,” Mayor Walsh said.  “Last year, I challenged the Foundation to double their fundraising goal from $250,000 thousand to $500,000.  Not only did they get it done, but they are now putting the funds directly into the Main Streets districts in meaningful ways.  After this challenging winter, it is more important than ever to support small and local businesses, and I am glad that we have such a strong partner in the Boston Main Streets Foundation.”

The grants were awarded to five Main Street districts:

• Egleston Square Main Street’s grant will help revitalize its open spaces, drawing shoppers into the business district by programming a monthly Arts & Music Series in the Egleston Square Peace Garden. The series will highlight the diverse mix of local musicians from Mozambique, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Ethiopia and Hip Hop artists who live in Roxbury while promoting an equally diverse mix of shops and restaurants in the Square.

• St. Mark’s Area Main Street in Dorchester will create several design improvements in the district this spring. These will include increasing public art throughout the district, providing more seating and public gathering spaces, adding planters and plants in high-visibility areas, and installing metal “St. Mark’s Area Main Street” signs on lamp posts to better identify the business district.  

• Hyde Park Main Street’s grant will help the district to install attractive wayfinding signage around the commercial district. In addition to helping visitors and residents with directions, the signage will enhance the overall feel of the community center.

• As the first section of a two-part grant, Chinatown Main Street’s grant will generate an RFP to hire a technology consultant to undertake a feasibility study, create a design concept, and explore site locations for an Integrated Outdoor Digital / Wi-Fi Kiosk in Chinatown.

• Roslindale Village Main Street’s grant will provide winter programming activities and events at the Roslindale Village Main Street’s Winter Farmers’ Market and at the Roslindale Public Library on Saturdays during the winter. This grant was awarded because Roslindale Village businesses are eager to see more programming and activities in Roslindale Village that can draw shoppers during the quiet, post-holiday winter season when foot traffic is at its lowest.

Since 2013, BMSF has awarded 30 Innovation and Impact Grants, totaling $175,000.

"The Boston Main Streets Foundation remains committed to its support of local Boston
Main Streets organizations with the announcement of this fourth round of Innovation & Impact Grant awards," said BMSF Board President Joel Sklar. "This continues to be made possible thanks to the generous support provided by our Foundation investors and Board Members, and their understanding of the importance of investing in Boston's neighborhoods and small businesses."

As part of his first budget ever, Mayor Walsh increased funding to the city’s Main Streets districts by 30 percent in order to better support local and small businesses, and has more than doubled funding for the City’s programs for on-site business consulting.  

Established in 1995, Boston Main Streets is a program of the Department of Neighborhood Development (DND), the City agency charged with expanding affordable home ownership opportunities, and directly supporting Boston’s neighborhood business districts.

MAYOR WALSH JOINS BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ANNOUNCING PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GAVIN FOUNDATION AND UMASS BOSTON

MAYOR WALSH JOINS BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ANNOUNCING PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GAVIN FOUNDATION AND UMASS BOSTON

Curriculum for Boston Public Middle Schools Will Focus on Drug and Alcohol Prevention

BOSTON— Mayor Martin J. Walsh today joined Boston Public Schools in announcing a partnership with the Gavin Foundation and UMass Boston to pilot Too Good for Drugs, a new school-based drug prevention program designed to reduce the use of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs. This pilot program will be installed in seventh grade courses to promote positive social skills and character. Yesterday, the program was introduced at the McCormack Middle School in Dorchester for the first time. 

 

“This program’s aim is to address prevention of drug and alcohol use through our schools,” said Mayor Walsh. “The curriculum will include good decision-making, resisting peer pressure, and cultivating healthy communication and relationships with others. It emphasizes the pertinent information Boston youth will need to understand the negative consequences of alcohol and drug use.”

"We are pleased and honored to be partnering with the University of Massachusetts Boston and The Gavin Foundation to bring this unique program to the McCormack Middle School," said Interim Superintendent John McDonough. "Our commitment to substance abuse education and prevention is unwavering; a middle school program of this caliber, funded and cultivated by our community partners, is the next, right step in our investment in our youth."

“The University of Massachusetts Boston is proud to partner with Mayor Walsh, the city of Boston, and the Gavin House on this important issue,” said Chancellor J. Keith Motley. “Sadly, now more than ever school-based drug-prevention programs are a necessity. Statistics show that 9 out of 10 people with addiction started using substances before they turned 18. We hope that by focusing on adolescents before they are exposed to drugs and alcohol, we can diminish the risk of addiction, and increase the likelihood of success in school and in college.” 

“The Gavin Foundation is honored to be collaborating with UMass Boston and BPS on such an important initiative as Too Good For Drugs,” President and CEO John P. McGahan said. “This is just another example of Mayor Walsh's commitment to addressing substance abuse use through prevention as well as treatment and recovery support.”

The curriculum is based upon 10 one-hour sessions with professionals who have been trained by the Mendez Foundation. It meets the requirements for mandated school health courses and the standards of the Boston Public Schools’ Focus on Children. The curriculum consists of 14 core lessons and an additional 12 lessons that can be infused into other subject areas (such as English, Science, and Social Studies). Students engage in role-play and cooperative learning activities and are encouraged to apply the skills to different contexts.

Mayor Walsh Welcomes 2015 ONEin3 Council

Mayor Walsh Welcomes 2015 ONEin3 Council

Members poised to inspire civic leadership among Boston’s young adults

BOSTON – On Monday, Mayor Martin J. Walsh welcomed the newly selected Mayor's ONEin3 Council to City Hall. The diverse 37-member group will spend the next 12 months working with the City on projects aimed at maximizing the talents of Boston's 20-34 year old demographic, which is one third of the City's total population.  

“In Boston, we have the highest proportion of young adults of any major U.S city,” said Mayor Walsh. “The ONEin3 council selection serves as an annual reminder that this demographic comprises some of the city’s most civic minded citizens. By making Boston a more inviting place to live, work, and play, ONEin3 will help these innovators, opinion leaders, and entrepreneurs move on to become civically engaged residents and neighbors.”

The Mayor’s ONEin3 Council, which is supported by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, serves as a direct link between young adults and city officials. The Council is an action-oriented group tasked with brainstorming, creating, and carrying out projects that directly impact the lives of Boston's 20-34 year-olds. Projects may include work on housing policy, professional development, economic development, and civic and neighborhood engagement.

The ONEin3 Council received more than 320 applications this year, showing a sustained interest in involvement and engagement among Boston’s young adults. The applications were reviewed by members of the applicants’ peers and ONEin3 program manager, Chloe Ryan. Those chosen distinguished themselves as leaders in their neighborhoods and in the community.

The 2015 ONEin3 Council is comprised of 37 Boston residents, who live in 20 different neighborhoods across Boston.  Collectively, the group works in 20 unique industries, from education to construction management, and received degrees from 30 higher education institutions.  Approximately half of the group is native to Boston, while half grew up in other cities, including several from the Mid-West and West Coast. The Council is set to meet monthly.

Launched in 2004, ONEin3 connects Boston’s young adult population with resources related to housing, professional development, financial health, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement. The program also works to connect young adults, including college students, to resources that help them put down roots in the city.

Members of the 2015 ONEin3 Council are:

Kevin Becerra, Dorchester

Leland Berman, Beacon Hill

Emma Blaxter, Jamaica Plain

Nicola Braginsky, Fenway/Kenmore

Diana Brennan, Beacon Hill

Alessandra Brown, Hyde Park

David Brown, West Roxbury

Jessica DesCarles, Dorchester

Andrew Destefano, East Boston

Max Egan, Back Bay

Jessica Frattaroli, North End

Dave Falvey, South Boston

Christine Galatis, Roslindale

Cristina Garmendia, Allston

Reynolds Graves, Roxbury

Karleen Herbst, South Boston

Liam Hoare, East Boston

Chu Huang, South End

John Hynes, Fort Point

Jasmin Johansen, Mattapan

Senam Kumahia, Back Bay

Michael Landry, South End

Kevin Liang, West End

Marlena Love, South End

Cara Matthews, Roxbury

Benji Moll, Back Bay

Tyler Murphy, Downtown

Ruth Nkemontoh, Brighton

Anthony Richards, Dorchester

Nicole Rodriguez, Roslindale

Christopher Rusk, West Roxbury

Ken Ryan, South Boston

Rachel Spekman, Dorchester

Ryan Walsh, South Boston

Donald Washington, Hyde Park

Adam Weisman, Back Bay

One Greenway 3/30 起接受申請

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波市議會議長林乃肯組2024夏奧委員會聽民意 3/6首次聽証

波士頓市議會議長林乃肯（Bill Linehan)為聽取民意，組成“2024夏季奧運特別委員會“，將於三月六日（週五）早上十點半，在市議會議事廳召開第一次公聽會。

            林乃肯將出任主席，已指派吳弭（Michelle Wu），席歐莫（Mark Ciommo），貝克（Frank Baker），麥卡習（Timothy McCarthy），歐馬利（Matt O'Malley），傑克森（Tito Jackson）等人進委員會。

            預定三月六日早上十點半在波士頓市政府大樓市議會議事廳舉行的第一次公聽會，將有波士頓2024報告，帶動討論，並容許市議員們表達民眾關切事項。

            委員會也將從波士頓市爭取主辦2024夏季奧運的角度，來考慮相關議題，並進行調查，包括要確保整個社區過程的確是開放供所有人參加，主辦夏季奧運動波士頓市的經濟衝擊有多大，承辦這活動對波市的鄰里社區影響多大等。

            林乃肯表示，波士頓不見得需要辦這一比賽，但他想問，為什麼不可以，尤其是波士頓是和奧運其實頗有淵源，1896年奧運在雅典舉行時，是波士頓運動員率領美國得勝。如今聞名世界的波士頓馬拉松賽也是從1897年起，波士頓仿1896奧運活動，從1897年開始舉辦的。

 Council President Linehan announces Committee on 2024 Summer Olympics

Council President Linehan announces the formation of a Special Committee on the 2024 Summer Olympics. Councilor Linehan will Chair the committee and has appointed Councilors Ciommo, Baker, Jackson, McCarthy, Wu, and O’Malley as members.

The Committee will hold its first hearing Friday, March 6^th at 10:30a.m. in the Iannella Chambers at City Hall. The Council will hear a presentation from Boston 2024 to initiate the discussion and give the Council an opportunity to vet concerns.

The Committee will concern itself with issues regarding the City of Boston’s bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. Some of the issues the Committee will investigate include; insuring the community process is open to all, the economic impact of hosting the Summer Olympics Games for the City, and what effect hosting the Olympic Games will have on the City’s neighborhoods.

The Committee will perform the due diligence needed to determine the feasibility of hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics as well as weigh the possible advantages and/or disadvantages of hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics, by working with 2024 to craft an Olympic bid that will work for Boston.  

 The Committee will act as an alternative and objective voice to the 2024 Olympic bid presented by the City. Council President Linehan has stated: “This Committee will act as an additional opportunity for neighborhood process and participation. I truly believe that the experienced members of this Committee will put in the necessary work to help guide this effort and decide what is best for Boston and all its residents.”

Councilor President Linehan added, Boston does not need the games, but I have to ask the question “why can’t we host the games?”. The City of Boston has an Olympic legacy. In 1896 at the first modern Olympics in Athens, U.S.A. athletes from Boston led the charge to victory.  

            In addition, the Olympic Marathon distance run in 1896 was emulated in Boston the following year in 1897, what we all have come to know and love as “The Boston Marathon”, a tribute to the first games that continues.

            I believe we need to look hard at our ability, capacity and execute with the intention of being Boston Strong.