Eight Streets Neighborhood Association: Monthly Meeting Minutes: January 8, 2014

Administrative notes:

· Next meeting Feb 5^th

· Councilor Linehan confirmed as speaker for Feb 5

Line items:

1. 55 Dwight Street – Sean Kennedy, developer, request for support for rear cantilevered balcony was received with a vote of non-opposition. A letter will be sent to ZBA when the hearing date is scheduled

2. Claire Corcoran, Chair of Friends of Ringgold Park, presented an overview of Ringgold park’s history and future.

a. Enjoying the New playgrounds

b. New low hoop fencing a nice addition to the central fountain

c. Original design/layout was a Design by committee (volunteers & Neighbors)

i. Included active recreation areas

ii. Passive recreation areas

iii. Grants from City for beautification

iv. Brown fund helped support some of the upgrades

v. Councilor Linehan was very helpful along the way

d. Original Board members still involved but are looking to step down shortly

i. Call for new Board members to step forward

ii. Call for volunteers to help maintain the park periodically (e.g. rose pruning, leaf clear up)

e. Board meets two times per year

f. Two major events per year

i. Spring egg hunt

ii. Fall Halloween event

g. Requesting consideration from city to get Big Belly trash cans ($4K each)

h. ESNA will likely hold its bi-annual BBQ in Ringgold Park and will invite FORP Board to join

i. ESNA offered to help clean up the park as part of the Spring Boston Shines event

3. New Eight Street members introduced themselves: Aletha & James Cleckley's from Hanson st. They have been living in community for three decades and will soon be looking to add decks onto the back of their Brownstone. They will be looking for the Associations vote on the project once the city paperwork has been filed..

4. Speaker, Aaron Michlewitz, State Representative: Our representative in the Massachusetts Legislature presented his role in state government and some of his accomplishments. He also took questions from the group.

a. Elected official

b. Our voice for City, State and Federal representation

c. Accomplishment he is proud of:

i. Green ticket bill which gives City more power to collect fines for trash violators

ii. Multi-lingual Ballots (currently in motion not yet approved)

d. Questions were taken from the floor but are not detailed here were related to:

i. Gas tax: He is in support of

ii. Animal Control: Understaffed and in need of more support

iii. Liquor licenses: He feels the need to keep the number of new licenses in check

1. Where new licenses go is critical, he don’t want over saturation in well served areas (North End, South End etc)

2. Don’t want to devalue the current licenses in place

5. Ron Johns presented “ESNA welcome pack”. Final edits requested, then welcome pack to be signed, printed, ready for distribution at the February meeting.

6. ESNA Committees requested to convene and agree 2-3 goals for 2014 for review at the February meeting.