SBHC Honoring Councilor Michael Flaherty

The South Boston Health Center, along with elected officials honored Councilor Michael Flaherty for all of his work towards creating better health care for all residents of Boston.

Continued from Page 1

Bike Deliveries

restaurants which feature cuisines from all over the world. AllstonBrighton residents are ready to make this green transportation program a great success.”

The rise of delivery services following the pandemic has led to more congestion outside local businesses and double parking in bus, bike, and vehicle travel lanes. This has led to more conflicts among pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles, which has increased the potential for serious injury. Boston Delivers aims to improve safety on our streets by reducing the size, speed, and environmental impacts of delivery vehicles.

The City will subsidize the delivery costs for up to eight businesses, making delivery costs more affordable for local businesses, with funds from Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s (MassCEC) Accelerating Clean Transportation for All (ACT4All) Program (funded by MassCEC and the Department of Energy Resources). This program will also help businesses provide a delivery service where they may not already offer one. Additionally, the city is contributing about $345,000 towards the pilot program. The majority of this is labor costs, along with outreach and translation services and equipment.

“The Boston Delivers program will address two issues that we’re facing in Allston, pollution in the neighborhood and congestion on our streets,” said Alex Cornacchini, Executive Director of Allston Village Main Streets Association.

“This service will provide some much needed relief on both fronts, all while helping out our local businesses community. We’re very fortunate that the BTD has chosen Allston as the pilot neighborhood for this initiative.”

“We would like to participate in the Boston Delivers pilot because it seems like an easy way to support cleaner air and job opportunities for those without a car,” said John Kim, owner of OliToki, a Korean fusion restaurant in Allston that will be participating in Boston Delivers. “Also, we see a lot of bike and e-bike deliveries in other major cities, and we feel that adding more ways to get food into people’s hands should ultimately benefit both restaurants and customers.”

While some businesses have already been selected, Boston Delivers is seeking more businesses in the Allston area to participate in the program. Those interested in participating in Boston Delivers can go to boston. gov/boston-delivers to fill out the interest form and learn more.

“As a business that makes and delivers healthy, fresh meals throughout the City of Boston, we understand congestion and recognize its impact on the residents of the City. And as a business that cares about climate protection, we are always looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint,’ said Richard Caines III, Director, Sales and Marketing at City Fresh Foods. “The Boston Delivers pilot program is very innovative and gives companies like ours an opportunity to learn more about how e-bikes can be successfully integrated into business operations.”

This pilot program has several key learning objectives that will help pave the way for the operation of e-cargo bikes for delivery. These key learning objectives are:

• Identify the policies, programs, and regulations that need to change to allow for e-cargo bike delivery in the City of Boston;

• Test infrastructure changes needed to accommodate e-cargo bike delivery, including but not limited to e-cargo bike delivery zones, staging and sorting areas, parcel lockers, and other lastmile logistical needs;

• Measure the benefits of e-cargo bike delivery, including its impact on environmental, safety, and economic metrics;

• Understand the costs and feasibility of e-cargo bike delivery for different types of businesses;

• Communicate to delivery service providers that the City of Boston is ready for delivery services to utilize e-cargo bikes.

“Through our farm share program, ABHC is really looking forward to partnering up with Boston Transportation Department’s Boston Delivers team as we intersect two key needs in our community: equitable access to food and transportation,” said Jessi Rubin, Allston Brighton CSA, organized by Allston-Brighton Health Collaborative, who is participating in Boston Delivers.

“The electric cargo bike pilot presents an important opportunity to both learn best practices regarding sustainable, environmentally friendly local deliveries, which has an exploding demand in both urban and suburban neighborhoods, while also reducing vehicle miles traveled by single-occupant vehicles – a key recommendation of MetroCommon 2050,” said Marah Holland, Senior Transportation Planner at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. “It’s the epitome of ‘smart growth,’ and we’re looking forward to opportunities to expand to other neighborhoods and municipalities across Greater Boston.”

Boston Delivers will serve as a case study for The Urban Freight Lab at The University of Washington to help inform worldwide efforts to encourage deliveries on e-cargo bikes. The Boston Transportation Department has partnered with Net Zero, a leading final mile logistics provider, to carry out the pilot. Net Zero will provide and manage the fleet of e-cargo bikes and related equipment, make the deliveries, and manage the logistics.

More information on Boston Delivers can be found on boston.gov/boston-delivers.

by Rick Winterson

The City of Boston’s Parks and Recreation Department conducted an Arts & Crafts Workshop in City Point’s Medal of Honor Park at M Street. Specifically, this Workshop was held outdoors (of course), on one of the blue oval tables to the rear of the Lori A. Miller “Tot Lot”.

For a couple of hours, perhaps as many as thirty or forty young folks gathered at the Arts & Crafts table. They came and they went– some of them more than once – under the watchful eyes of parents and caregivers. Pippa was one of South Boston’s young people who told us how much she enjoyed the morning’s hands-on craft work.

Everyone in the joyful and enthusiastic crowd truly had a good time, while learning that craftwork can be designed and made from many materials. In this case, the materials provided by the Parks and Recreation Department included synthetic and moldable clay, brightly colored pipe cleaners, and a full spectrum of Crayola felttipped crayons. Thanks for an enjoyable morning activity.

Youth Leadership Through Art in Unique Collaboration

On an August afternoon, the scene at Spoke could be that of any advanced art workshop. The youth distinguish it and with a focus that is hard to interrupt. Brennyzel, from the South End, an entering senior in high school, was working on a transfixing photo of his neighborhood, transforming it, and adding text, seemingly unaware of the beauty he created.

By Carol Masshardt

There are texts and courses on leadership, but Spoke, the popular Summer St. gallery and programs, with Boston Housing Authority, had other ideas. What if youth living in Boston Public Housing or Section 8 housing offered their voices about who they are, where they live, and what they see as possible? What if this started with a group of emerging leaders, from 15-21, working with Director of Programs at Spoke, Autumn Cole, to share their stories, create art that is meaningful to them, and to talk about it? And then, how would it be if these very people, and others like them, became powerful agents of change through advocacy, communication, teamwork, and the creation of new ways of thinking about public housing?

“Yes, this is a good thing. I have become much more open-minded. I socialize better and know ways to lead. I do consider myself an artist. I never did before,” he said. “It’s 100 percent important for housing people to know our thoughts.”

Ricardo, slightly older, has created some remarkable re-designs of sneakers, and is eager to continue to develop his products, but has been busy with the program and another job.

“We build something at Spoke and then move it on to BHA. It is a good idea. Will it change a culture to include our perspective? Realistically, maybe, but hopefully, yes,” he said. “More conversation and more action are needed.”

Originally from Cleveland, and previously working at the Museum of African American Arts, Autumn Cole, knows something about how art and youth work, and trusts in a process that is less linear than some, and more inspired than most.

“I am amazed all the time of what these kids can do, and what happens when people listen, and they learn to speak about their perspective,” she said. “They start with hearing from Michael Dowling and L’Merchie Frazier, (established leaders at Spoke and well-regarded artist and advocates,) and then they start exploring who they are and doing hands on kinds of things. Now they are working with a professional photographer and learning how to use photoshop. Its good for thinking, creating, and a skill they bring forward.”

In addition to talking with BHA representatives, they are engaged in art projects at some Boston Public Housing sites, including the Archdale Development in Roslindale. The goal is to identify youth representing every BHA development in the city, but logistics of transportation, as always, have been a challenge.

In this rare partnership, others are brought in, and creative energy surrounds the space. Professional photographer, Hakim Raquib, described his experience.

“I’m impressed with how quickly they learn. I started them with real photography knowing they would get hooked on digital, which they did. They are doing lovely stuff and it is fun for me to learn about their perspective. It is always both ways. They learn and are producing, and I change, too,” he said.

Autumn Cole keeps a steady eye on the lives before her, the production of art and the leadership and communication that emerges. Her wish is for the youth “to know they have options and how big the world is.” It seems this may well be happening in more ways than can be imagined as the group works together as artists and engaged advocates. She said she sometimes misses the context of history she had previously, but perhaps she is part of something that will make Boston history deeper, more inclusive, and creative.

(Some of the work can be seen at the Spoke Gallery with a reception at 6PM on August 17th and continuing in early September. Carol Masshardt can be reached at carolhardt@comcast. net and can connect you to Spoke if you wish to become involved.

by Rick Winterson

When the New Year of 2024 arrives in South Boston, so will a restaurant technical service firm named “Toast”. If you have difficulty remembering that business name, just picture its corporate emblem – a glowingly outlined slice of toasted pan bread, which even has indentations at the proper spots. Toast is planning to move here next year in the first quarter of 2024.

Toast is a public company. It was founded eleven years ago in Boston by Steve Fredette, Aman Narang, and Jonathan Grimm. It currently has about 4,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of more than $3 billion ($3,000,000,000). Briefly stated, Toast provides complete management and optimization systems, programs, and software to all kinds of restaurants, from drive-through windows to “reservations required” establishments. And Toast is both profitable and growing rapidly.

Until the first half of this year, Toast occupied interior space in the 401 Park Drive multi-story business complex, where they had grown to approximately three full acres (130,000 interior square feet).