SBOL_06_25_2020

THE PRINT EDITION

THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020

VOLUME XIX- ISSUE 74

City Councilor Flynn Votes in Favor of FY21 Budget

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ne of the most i m p o r t a n t responsibilities that a City Councilor has it to approve Fiscally responsible budget that will make investments, deliver services and provide resources to our constituents. We must do so while responding to the need for racial equality, and also dealing with the impacts of a global health pandemic and what could potentially be a very deep and long-lasting recession.

After attending every City Council budge hearing, talking with the city officials, and residents in my district across the city, I will vote in Favor of the FY21 budget.

This budge makes large i nve st ment s i n a f ford able housing, educ ation, public health, food access, services for immigrants, and other areas.

There is an $80 million increase for Boston Public Schools

spending, a $13 Million increase for the Boston Public Health Commission, and $18 million in housing investments. There is also new funding for the Boston Public Library, Boston Parks Department, and the Human Rights Commission. These are all priorities and departments that provide important services for our most vulnerable residents.

I also represent a large i m m ig ra nt c om mu n it y i n District 2, and this budget includes increased funding for both the Office of Immigration Advancement and the Office of Language and Communications Access, which will help my constituents in Chinatown, the South End, South Boston and elsewhere who are trying to ac c e s s re sou rc e s l i ke interpretation, legal advocacy, Continued on Page 2

The Broadway Open for Business, Inside and Outside

Phase Two, part b., of COVID-19 recovery got going on Monday. That allowed restaurants to let people dine inside, provided Social Distancing could be maintained.

But you know something? South Boston has fallen in love with dining al fresco, outdoors, “in cool air�.

Story and Photos Page 6

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THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020 SOUTHBOSTONONLINE.COM

Continued from Page 1

Flynn

and housing. At a time when the rights of our immigrants are under constant threat, we need funding for these offices to do their vital work and advocate for our immigrant communities.

During t his pa ndemic, our communities of color a nd i m m ig ra nt neig hbors have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. In particular, our A API community has experienced racism and discrimination. I’m glad that the Human Rights Commission is f unded in this budget to help address racism and discrimination, and potentially be an outlet for residents to seek support.

If we don’t approve this budget, we’ll lack funding for the Human Rights Commission and be unable to utilize this department to fight

for the rights of our residents.

I also represent a large number of seniors, and this pandemic has magnif ied the importance of food access.

I’ve helped deliver food to seniors and housing complexes throughout Boston, and I know that food access will continue to be critical for the city during t h i s ec onom ic dow nt u r n.

This budget has investments for The Off ice of Food Access, which would help enable the elderly and ot hers in need to access nutritious and healthy foods.

I also have to consider what would happen if we do not have an approved budget by July 1st .

We would have to go into what is called a “1/12 budget” based on last year’s approved budget and revenue, which means that we can potentially lose the investments included in this proposal and make cuts. With the current uncertainty in the economy, some city departments may struggle to pay their costs and ultimately have to lay off workers. I’m proud of the work that our city workers do every day – from our teachers, school nurses, police off icers, f iref ighters, EMT’s youth councilors, substance use disorder counselors, custodians, traffic engineers, to our parks

department and public works department workers, and so many others – they all keep our cit y moving for wa rd.

In t he midd le of a n economic crisis, it is critical for us as a city to do all that we can to help keep working families employed so that they can pay their rent or mortgage, buy their groceries, and support our local restaurants and small businesses to help Boston recover from what could be a very deep a nd long-la sting recession.

I also understand that there are calls to reallocate more funding from the Boston Police Department to other programs and departments. The discussion on racial equity and justice must continue, and there is much work to be done in terms of reform. I believe that voting for this budget does not mean that we won’t work to address issues of accountability for misconduct and structural change. When we talk about structural change, we also have to talk about non-budgetary reforms.

I’m committed to working with my colleagues, Mayor Wa l sh, ou r civ ic organization and community advocates to further racial justice in our city, and to ensure that our police department continues to strive to be more inclusive,

equitable, and empowering.

I believe this is a budget that makes much needed investments for our city during the current public health and economic crisis, as well as taking steps in the right direction to address racial equity. This work will continue, but voting for this budget will preserve important i nve s t me nt s in hou si n g , educ at ion, publ ic he a lt h, immigrant services and other vital areas during these uncertain times for our city and country.

scenic parks and Urban Wilds with a focused theme in each session.

Select photos will be chosen on Monday of the following week and added to our Pics in the Parks online gallery (by submitting photos, participants agree to allow future use by the City of Boston).

Check out our posts every week on Tuesdays through September 1. Submit your photos from the week ’s challenge to Steve.K r uszkowsk i@boston. gov to be considered for our Pics in the Park s ga ller y.

Fol low u s on socia l media or visit the Pics in the

Parks page on the City of Boston website (boston.gov/ picsintheparks) to find each of the weekly challenges. Then join the fun by sharing your photos on social media using the #PicsInTheParks hashtag and tagging us on Facebook @ BostonPa rk sDepa r tment, on Twitter @BostonParksDept, and Instagram @BostonParksDept.

Include the location and keep in mind that submitted photos should be of City of Boston parks only. For a list of Boston Parks and Recreation Department properties please visit the Pics in the Parks page.

Sincerely, Ed Flynn Boston City Councilor, District 2 The council passed Walsh’s operating budget by an 8-5 vote, with councilors Frank Baker, Kenzie Bok, Liz Breadon, Lydia Edwards, Annissa Essaibi-George, Michael Flaherty, Ed Flynn and Matt O’Malley voting to pass the budget, and City Council President Kim Janey and councilors Ricardo Arroyo, Andrea Campbell, Julia Mejia and Michelle Wu against it.

Pics In The Parks Challenge

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re you looking for a creative way to explore the great outdoors this summer? The Boston Parks and Recreation Department invites you to participate in Pics in the Parks, a series of virtual photography clinics for individuals of all ages and skill

levels. Explore the features of your digital camera or smartphone while learning the technical elements of photography. Weekly challenges will be released every Tuesday throughout the summer.

Open to amateurs and professionals alike, Pics in the Parks encourages participants to explore their local open spaces while safely following social distancing guidelines.

Visit your favorite green space or expa nd you r horiz ons by exploring a new one.

Pa r ticipa nts w il l lea rn techniques for taking impressive photo g r a ph s of B o s ton’s

SOUTHBOSTONONLINE.COM THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020

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ecause of the COVID19 pandemic, there’s a great deal of dissension across the land about what’s left of the 2020 playing “Seasons” in professional sports. That appears to be true whether the season of the particular sport was interrupted in the middle or is now being entirely re-planned. Basketball was the first to suspend its regular season schedule when an NBA player was diagnosed with the Coronavirus; NHL hockey soon followed. Major league baseball never got to its opening day in early April. Football is planning to open the regular NFL season in less than three months – on the September weekend after Labor Day – but the pandemic has already begun to strike various players in the NFL. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging globally, and several American states have recently been experiencing new spikes in contagion. Baseball “Spring” training camps have been closed due to major pandemic spikes in Florida and Arizona. All pro games will be played in empty parks, arenas, and stadiums.

The players will be subjected to lockdowns to maintain their “wellness”.

And, oh yes, the most loyal, enthusiastic sports fans (even in Boston) will have to stay home.

Needless to say, the 2020 sports “Seasons” (with the possible exception of pro football) will be good for nothing except for all the asterisks (***) that will be attached to every single one of the win-loss records, scorecards, and total figures kept by the athletic leagues. We’ll say it again: “Asterisks (***)”. Ho hum!

South Boston Online will single out baseball for special criticism. There seems to be no thought by either the players or the owners of putting together some kind of “Season”, even if it’s not much more than a glorified “exhibition season”, loaded up with the asterisks (***) that we mentioned previously. This is a case where playing baseball should be started for “the good of the sport”, to avoid more drops in baseball fans. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred was authorized to set the number of games in what’s left of the baseball “Season”. Why didn’t he

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Pro Sports: The 2020 “Seasons” do that up front, at once? It seems to be about money. To quote someone else’s saying, “It’s the millionaires versus the billionaires.” Now we have only 60 games to enjoy (?), which will be competing with hockey football, and basketball at the same time. Good luck!!

And let’s say another word or two about the fans, the forgotten group in the world of pro sports. Please use your imagination, and picture yourself watching a professional game, seated all

alone in the stands. Just you. All alone.

Could you cheer, yell, and clap loudly enough to make the game somehow “real”? Or would you start looking for the exit when the game got to halftime?

Face it. The tens of thousands of enthusiastic pro sports fans – especially here in championship Boston – do nearly as much as the players (and more than the owners) to make each pro game enjoyable. Sure, you can invite your friends over to watch a game, or

join a group of fans at the local tavern.

You can and will cheer at what happens on the TV set, but how will it turn out when no one is actually at the game, in the stands cheering the players on? We’d all end up counting those asterisks (***) out loud, just to make a little extra noise.

So whatever else may concern those who are in pro sports, what’s best for the fans had better be made the top, A-1 priority as soon as possible. Like right away!

South Boston NDC Income-restricted Rental Opportunity O’CONNOR WAY SENIOR HOUSING 5 Major Michael J. O’Connor Way, South Boston, MA 02127 46 Income-Restricted Units for seniors 62+ # of Units

# of bedrooms

Price

Income Limit

5

one-bedroom

30% of Household Income

up to 30% AMI

17

one-bedroom

30% of Household Income

30% - 50% AMI

one-bedroom

$1,111 -$1,333 (based on your household size income)

over 50% and up to 60% AMI

*

** 24

*Three units are built-out for persons with mobility impairments **One unit is built-out for people who are deaf/hard of hearing and/or have vision impairment.

The 22 units affordable to households earning up to 30% AMI and between 30% and 50% AMI Filled directly through the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) Applications are available by visiting BHA’s website and printing an application to be mailed in, by completing an application through CHAMP online, or by calling 617-988-3400 and requesting BHA mail you a paper application. Applications are available at https://www.bostonhousing.org/en/For-Applicants/How-Do-I-Apply-for-BHA-Housing.aspx. To apply online please visit CHAMP at https://publichousingapplication.ocd.state.ma.us/

Minimum Incomes (set by owner + based on # of bedrooms + AMI) Maximum Incomes (set by DND + based on the household size + AMI) Min-Max Yearly Income 30% AMI

# of bedrooms

Household size

1

1

0 — $24,900

1

2

0 — $28,440

Min-Max Yearly Income 50% AMI $24,901 — $41,500 $28,441 — $47,400

Min-Max Yearly Income 60% AMI $41,501---- $53,760 $47,401 — $61,440

for the 24 units affordable to households earning between 50% and 60% AMI, income minimums do not apply to households with housing assistance such as Section 8, MRVP, or VASH.

Applications are available during the application period for 22 days, from Monday, June 29 – Tuesday, July 28, 2020 from 10 AM - 4 PM and on Thursday, July 9 and Thursday, July 23 evenings until 7 PM and Saturday, July 11, 10:00am – 2:00pm 60% AMI units - To request an application online, please visit https://bit.ly/OConnorWaySeniors. After careful consideration and an abundance of caution, the City of Boston has decided to cancel the in-person application distribution period. If you cannot complete the application online or from your smartphone, please call us at 617-464-2483 to request that we mail you one and to ask for any guidance you might need to complete the application. When you call, you will be asked for your full name, complete mailing address, and phone number. This is a City and HUD requirement.

DEADLINE: Applications must be submitted online or postmarked no later than Tuesday, August 4, 2020 Mailed to: 273 D Street, South Boston, MA 02127 ● ● ● ●

Selection by Lottery for the units affordable to households earning between 50% and 60% AMI Age Restricted, must be 62 years or older by the move-in date.

Asset & Use Restrictions apply.

Preferences for Boston Residents.

For more information, language assistance, or reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities please call Michelle Zenga at 617-464-2483 or email o'connorway@sbndc.or

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THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020 SOUTHBOSTONONLINE.COM

South Boston Yoga. A Sad Goodbye

by Rick Winterson

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ou have perhaps heard of various closures in and around South Boston – now, already, or yet to come in the near future, mostly due to the Coronavirus and its COVID-19 pandemic. Sadly, Mul’s Diner is closing due to a residential development planned for the plot of ground where it sits. For a variety of reasons, South Boston is changing quickly, dramatically, even as you’re reading this.

We thought we would h ig h lig ht one closing in particular, along with excerpts from the remarkable letter that announced this closing and was sent out by one of its owners, David Vendetti. His enterprise is South Boston Yoga; it had been located at 36 West Broadway since 2008 – 12 years ago.

Very early in his letter, Dav id st ated, “I n good conscience, we cannot reopen.

There are two reasons. One… There are too many people who come to the studio – over 1,000 a week – no part of us

wants any of you to get sick.

Two… with any less students, the business couldn’t afford to survive. We want to be part of keeping people safe and healthy.”

Of course, no business wants to lose money, but please note that South Boston Yoga’s f irst and foremost concern was for public safety. It was not able to meet the “social distancing” needed to f ight

COVID-19, so it closed its yoga studio instead of endangering anyone. South Boston Yoga is a small business with a large, pro-active good conscience.

Even more impressive is the high regard South Boston Yoga has for South Boston and its people. We’ll add a few more brief quotes from David’s letter.

To his clients he wrote, “We are undone and lost without

you.”; “We are family forever.”; and “For a sparkling moment in time, we were here …”.

David’s letter closed with the valedictory – “ … forever a nd wholehea r ted ly yours, Todd and David.”

South Boston Online can only add that we earnestly hope South Boston Yoga can eventually re-establish itself somewhere in the South Boston neighborhood.

2020 Farmers Market Starts Up

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outh Boston’s Farmers Market, a welcome neighborhood tradition, started up again this year last Monday, June 22. The delay, as you know, was caused by the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, one of the main Farmers Market’s participants in the past, the Wenger Farms, is spending this year on a mission to Africa.

The Farmers Market will be located as usual – in front of the Municipal Parking Lot, 446 West Broadway.

It will be open every Monday this summer from 12 noon until 6 p.m.

The 2020 South Boston Farmers Market is staffed by the R iverdale Farm, a 200acre farm in Groton that has extensive hothouse operations.

The R iverdale Farm will be using safety and hygiene procedures to prevent spread of the pandemic, just as you would

find in any other marketing enterprise. Please take note of these steps as you patronize the Farmers Market this summer.

Riverdale specializes in produce and so will be offering that kind of item only, at least for now.

SOUTHBOSTONONLINE.COM THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020

Franklin Park Zoo Now Open

by Rick Winterson Franklin Park Zoo opened to the general public just two weeks ago, as you are reading this – Thursday morning, June 4. South Boston Online won’t argue with anyone who is impressed by the Zoo’s bears, gorillas, or fierce carnivorous cats. We just happen to think that their giraffes are the most striking and beautiful animals of all. As you know, the Zoo had to be closed during the Coronavirus/COVID-19

Giraffes can look right over the fences in the Franklin Park Zoo.

pandemic. The staff is looking forward to welcoming visitors back, but please be aware that you will have to follow health measures when you and your family visit. These include “Social Distancing” and the purchase of tickets online (zoonewengland.org). The entire staff at the Zoo, from CEO John Linehan on down, has assured us that all of the animals at the Franklin Park Zoo – and the Stone Zoo as well – have been very well cared for. See you at the Zoo this summer, and we’ll close with a trivia question: We human beings have seven bones (called “cervical vertebrae”) in our necks. How many neck bones (also called “cervical vertebrae”) are in a giraffe’s long, long neck?

Giraffes are vegetarians with a gentle look – check those eyelashes.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020 SOUTHBOSTONONLINE.COM

South Boston Improves Itself

by Rick Winterson

P

hase Two, part b., of COVID-19 recovery got going on Monday.

That allowed restaurants to let people dine inside, provided Social Distancing could be maintained.

But you know something? South Boston has fallen in love with dining al fresco, outdoors, “in cool air”. In this piece, we list eleven more (Yes, 11!) establishments where the beginning of summer was celebrated by people dining outdoors. And do you know something else? It seems as if

Coronavirus is not as contagious in breezes, sunshine, and oxygen in the air. No, that’s definitely NOT a cure, but it helps.

Over in the Seaport (go to South Station and then get off at the first Silverline stop), drop in at Trillium Brewery’s plaza on Thomson Place next to Trader Joe’s for a drink and some food. Sorelle on Harbor Shore Drive gives you a harbor view and super sandwiches.

And Gather’s patio at District Hall has become a summertime tradition. View the ginormous yellow daffodils from there.

On We st Broa dw ay, Amrhein’s seems to have doubled

Deja Brew on East Broadway gets its al fresco street space.

Fat Baby offers Japanese fare on Dorchester Street.

“Gather”, al fresco dining at Boston’s District Hall on Seaport Blvd.

its outdoor tables, even though it hasn’t opened yet. Towards Perkins Square, eat a late outdoor lunch at Lincoln, go for supper on CAPO’s sidewalk, or dine under LOCO’s superb F Street mural.

Fat Baby offers Japanese fare outside on Dorchester Street. On East Broadway, Deja Brew offers breakfast and lunch over long outdoor weekends. The Broadway serves you in the evenings; it opened (both inside and outside) just last Monday at 4 p.m.

And don’t miss al fresco at Seapoint in their parking lot at Covington and East Eighth. See you at a streetside table soon.

The Trillium Brewery on Thomson Place, next to Trader Joe’s.

CAPO on West Broadway has outdoor dining.

Lincoln offers late lunch al fresco on West Broadway.

Sorelle on Harbor Shore Drive. – great sandwiches, sidewalk service.

SOUTHBOSTONONLINE.COM THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020

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Summer “Officially” Arrives – WELCOME!

by Rick Winterson

woven and stitched cloth, the flowers automatically inflate when a 20-knot (23 mph) wind blows – hence the many 20’s, reminding us all that this year is 2020.

Why daffodils? Well, for years now, thousands of daffodils have lined the 26-mile course of the Boston Marathon as a bright greeting to the marathoners.

After this year’s Race was called off due to Coronavirus, the Marathon’s daffodils were used to line the pathways into South Boston’s Hope Hospital that was built inside the Convention Center. The cloth sculptures at the Seaport were installed there to welcome summer last Saturday.

It has been a long spring season, in part because of a record cold month in April but mostly due to the Corona virus/COVID-19 pandemic. We are now in Phase Two, second step, of our recovery from the pandemic and things are improving. Our efforts at fighting COVID-19 are working.

Take a walk for yourself. Stretch out a slow, five-mile journey on foot over four or five hours. Summer is here, so stop at a Southie beach for some sunshine and a swim. Stop at an outdoor table for something to eat and drink. We’ll repeat ourselves – “Summer is here!” Even with the pandemic still hanging around, South Boston is a great place to be.

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ast Saturday, June 20, at 5:43 p.m., the 2020 Summer Solstice took place. That moment of solstice marks the northernmost point of the Sun’s annual travels every year.

Late on Saturday afternoon, spring yielded; the 2020 summer began.

At 15 hours and 17 minutes, that day was the longest of this Year of 2020 A.D. By the way, the Old Farmer’s Almanac wrote that the exact time of the Solstice was 5:44, not 5:43 p.m. Oh well, New Hampshire has always been a bit slow, when compared to Boston.

Saturday and Sunday were perfect days for taking your first, long walk of summer. The sunshine was unbroken; the temperature was warm; cool breezes blew (at least occasionally). Surely, even if you have lived here for only a short time, you know that South Boston is

Inflatable cloth daffodil sculptures adorn Seaport Common a wonderful walking neighborhood.

Eighty present (80%) of our borders are salt water, from Fort Point Channel, along our Harborwalk, to Castle Island, and ending on Carson Beach. And there are many locations in South Boston, especially clustered along East and West

Broadway, where you can stop and enjoy al fresco dining and a drink out of doors, on our sidewalks or at streetside.

In the South Boston Seaport on Seaport Green (or “Common”, if you choose), there’s an exhibit of a unique kind called “20 Knots: Daffodils for Boston”. It’s an installation that cleverly combines arts, skilled crafts, and a large helping of creative imagination.

This display was originally intended to adorn Boston and to celebrate the Marathon in April. There are 20 of these ginormous daffodils, which are 20 feet tall. Constructed of specially

St. Sebastian’s School Honor Roll Summer beaching in South Boston (note the good Social Distancing).

St. Sebastian’s School is proud to announce the names of students who were named to the Fourth Quarter and Second Semester Honor Rolls under the following categories: High Honors (A- or above in all subjects), Honors with Distinction (B or above in all subjects), Honors (B- or above in all subjects) and Effort (Marks of 1 or 2 in all subjects, 4th quarter only).

Students from South Boston include: Michael P. Callow, Grade 10, Honors with Distinction, Honors with Distinction, Effort Joseph M. Hamilton III, Grade 11, Honors, Honors, Effort John P. Hamilton, Grade 9, Honors with Distinction, Honors with Distinction, Effort Extravagant hydrangeas symbolize summer’s arrival better than any other shrub.

Caspar T. Touloukian, Grade 9, High Honors, High Honors, Effort

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THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020 SOUTHBOSTONONLINE.COM

Gate of Heaven, St. Brigid Parishes and St. Augustine Chapel News Happy Anniversary and Thank you to Father Casey This past weekend, Fr. Robert Casey celebrated his 33rd Anniversary as an Ordained Priest and also 20 years as our Pastor here in South Boston.

God Bless you and Thank you for all you do for God and God’s people and all the parishioners in the Gate of Heaven and St. Brigid Parishes and St. Augustine Chapel. After the 8AM Sunday Mass on June 21, 2020, a parishioner wished Fr. Casey another 20 more years here in South Boston!

Happy Anniversary and Thank you, Fr. Casey! May your life be filled with God’s good gifts, and abundant joy.

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SOUTHBOSTONONLINE.COM THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020

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SOUTHBOSTONONLINE.COM THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2020 THE PRINT EDITION

The State of Real Estate Besides following all the measures that the CDC urges all individuals to follow, Rooney Real Estate will be adding the following practices : • Our staff and agents will work from home as much as possible • Online virtual tours of each of our listings to limit showings • Personal / Private showings, not conducting open houses • We will provide sanitizers at all showings • Sales and rental contracts will be signed electronically

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