07_27_2023

An Update: Mass/Cass (and Clifford Park)

Smooth Sailing

by Rick Winterson

Mass/Cass, which is short for “the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard”, is still here, still active. This isn’t for the first, or second, or third time either.

Mass/Cass, also known as Methadone Mile and Recovery Road, first began on Mass Ave. across from Melena Cass Boulevard in one of the Boston Medical Center’s parking areas, back when Marty Walsh was Mayor. Mass/Cass continued during Kim Janey’s and Michelle Wu’s terms as Mayor of Boston; it became centered on Atkinson Street and spread extensively along Southampton Street. Obviously, Mass/Cass was a result of Boston’s ongoing drug crisis, which immediately became much worse when the bridge to the Long Island Homeless Shelter had to be condemned eight years ago in 2014. Recently, Boston’s news media have reported that Clifford Park, which is nearby Mass/Cass, has been littered

Continued on Page 3

Harry McDonough Sailing Center’s Free Program Unlocks Ocean’s Magic for Local Youth

By Ginger DeShaney

It may just be the most unique summer experience for youths in South Boston. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

The nonprofit Harry McDonough Sailing Center, in existence since 1972, spreads the love

of sailing and the ocean by teaching youngsters how to sail. For free. The center’s mission is to provide inner-city youth with a fun, safe, and accessible environment while promoting positive life skills and values through sailing. There are sailing lessons in the morning and open sailing in the afternoon. There’s also swimming (in a designated area), paddleboarding, kayaking, friendship, and so much more.

Continued on Page 8

A long night in Clifford Park (but he cleaned it up before leaving).

Mayor Michelle Wu declared a heat emergency in the City of Boston beginning Thursday, July 27 through Friday, July 28, due to the upcoming weather forecasts. High temperatures will reach into the 90s, with the heat index expected to reach the mid90s to 100 degrees. Additionally, the City of Boston is issuing a heat advisory Wednesday through Saturday, encouraging

Mayor Wu Declares Heat Emergency Opens 15 BCYF Cooling Centers

residents to take precautions to stay safe in the hot weather.

“This summer is an opportunity for Boston residents to have fun and stay active together—but this is only possible when our community comes together to take necessary precautions to stay safe from extreme heat,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Heat waves can endanger anyone, regardless of age or health, and it is critical for everyone to stay hydrated, limit outdoor activity when possible and wear plenty

of sunscreen. The City is here to support residents through a variety of programming, and I urge anyone with questions to call 311 for assistance in keeping protected against the heat.”

To help residents stay cool, cooling centers will be open at 15 Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) community centers Thursday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A full list of centers can be found at boston.gov/heat. Additionally, 64 splash pads will be open at parks and playgrounds throughout the City

Anyone, regardless of their medical conditions, can feel the impacts of extreme heat. During last summer’s heat wave Boston EMS experienced a 15-20% rise in daily calls to 9-1-1.

The City of Boston is taking critical immediate action to provide heat relief, including short-term, actionable steps toward relief during heat waves.

Boston Public Library locations are also available for residents to

seek relief from the heat. Patrons are always welcome to participate in BPL’s summer programming.

The Boston Public Schools is encouraging students and their families to prepare for hot weather this week by staying well hydrated and dressing appropriately. Families are welcome to send their children to their respective summer programs, which will provide students with water and meals. Additionally, the majority of summer sites are equipped with air conditioning and fans will be delivered to sites in need of cooling. Information on heat safety tips can be found online at boston.gov/ heat and by following @CityofBoston on Twitter. Residents can sign up for AlertBoston, the City’s emergency notification system, to receive emergency alerts by phone, email or text. Sign up online. Residents are also encouraged to call 311 with any questions about available City services.

Letter to the Editor

Time to Celebrate

Tolearnmoreabouteligibility+theBPDAscreeningrequirements,pleasevisit: http://www.bostonplans.org/housing/faqs#application-lottery-questions

Applicationsareavailableduringtheapplicationperiodfor14days: July20th,2023-August3rd,2023

Torequestanapplicationonlinevisit https://bit.ly/519East2ndAppRequest

Tohaveahardcopyoftheapplicationmailedtoyourmailingaddress,pleasecall (617)969-1642

Applicationsmayalsobepickedupinpersonforthefollowingfour(4)days:

Thursday 7/20/23 3PM-7PM SouthBostonPublicLibrary646EastBroadway,Boston,MA02127

Saturday 7/22/23 10AM-2PM SouthBostonPublicLibrary646EastBroadway,Boston,MA02127

Thursday 7/27/23 3PM-7PM SouthBostonPublicLibrary646EastBroadway,Boston,MA02127

Saturday 7/29/23 10AM-2PM SouthBostonPublicLibrary646EastBroadway,Boston,MA02127

Fullysigned+completed applicationsmustbesubmittedonlineorpostmarkednolaterthanAugust 3rd,2023. Mailedto: 519East2ndStreetLLC 109OakStreetSuite204

ATTN:VictoriaClark NewtonUpperFalls,MA02464

● Selection by lottery Asset Use & Resale Restrictions apply

● Preference for Boston Residents

please call (617) 969-1642 or email vclark@alexandrapropertiesllc com

It’s time to celebrate, folks! After an arduous and challenging threeyear journey, we’ve finally been granted approval for the new billboard from the city of Boston! We couldn’t be more thrilled to share this news with all of you.

This billboard has been a dream of ours for so long, and we’re ecstatic that it is now that much closer to becoming a reality. From all the setbacks and hurdles we faced, we knew we had to persevere in order to secure the future of our organization. The revenue from this billboard will be transformative for our club, our historic building and the Polish-American community.

THANK YOU to everyone who supported us throughout this journey, who rallied for our cause, attended hearings, wrote letters of support and voiced their endorsement of this project. We also want to thank our neighbors, elected officials (City Councilors Michael Flaherty and

Erin Murphy, and State Senator Liz Miranda), and the McCormick and Andrew Square Civic Associations for their support. At a time when so many cultural and ethnic clubs are closing around the country, this project will ensure that the Polish American Citizens Club remains open and a vital part of Boston’s Polish Triangle. Stay tuned for more updates on this project - we can’t wait to share them with you!

Sincerely,

The Officers and Board of Directors of the Polish American Citizens Club Boston

Stasia Kacprzak, President

Eric Basile, Vice President

Peter Dziedzic, Treasurer

Erica Manczuk Stocks, Recording Secretary

Board of Directors - Jay Judas, Ed Merski, Keith Stocks, Joanna Curry, and Dawn Morris

Continued from Page 1

Mass/Cass

with countless used needles – so many of them that the Park was no longer safe to play on. A generous donation by car dealer and philanthropist Ernie Boch and a City cleanup has restored Clifford Park, but Mass/Cass itself still exists. At this moment, a blocklong section of Atkinson Street is still home to makeshift shelters – mostly flimsy, blue plastic tents. Perhaps a hundred or so people either live there or are hanging out. The hangouts, and in some cases actual shelters, are spreading down Southampton Street once again. Even after law enforcement was stepped up because of a mid-month stabbing on Southampton, the denizens of this area are still hostile. For example, some of them are throwing full cans of soft drinks at passers-by who

stop to look at Mass/Cass.

Clifford Park has been carefully cleaned and trimmed. It should be safe to play on it once again – a complete walk-about failed to spot any needles, although it seems that

a few homeless people are still spending the night there. But the key question remains! Even if the residents and hangers-on at Mass/Cass somehow have a

right to stay there and hang out all around Newmarket, why is drug peddling and selling still permitted to continue? That’s a serious federal felony.

Clifford Park this morning – no needles, but no ballplayers either.

Looking down Atkinson from Southampton – Mass/Cass is back!

Mass/Cass once again spreads onto Southampton Street.

Dirty Italian Owner Living the Dream

By Ginger DeShaney

The line to get into the Dirty Italian on opening day Saturday was out the door and down the sidewalk on Old Colony Avenue.

“Everything is going great,” said owner Talya Pessolano, who estimated they made 300 sandwiches on Saturday alone. “This last weekend was crazy. Crazy good.

“I’m beyond thankful for the crew that showed up to not only work the opening weekend but to everyone who waited in line patiently to come into the store and try one of our sandwiches and really be there for the grand opening day,” added Talya. “And I really can’t wait to have them come back again and try something new.

“I’m always so appreciative of the support that comes from our local community.”

The Dirty Italian offers a wide array of hot and cold sandwiches, dinners to go, grab-and-go charcuterie boards, a variety of salads, desserts, pastas, and sausages – all homemade – and so much more. Talya creates larger charcuterie boards but those need to be ordered ahead of time.

Talya has known since she was a teenager that she wanted her own shop. She credits working at Frigo Foods in Springfield, MA, with her “aunt and uncle,” Lisa and Joe Frigo, with instilling a love of food. (Lisa and Joe are helping out at the Dirty Italian and a butcher block and cheese wheel from Frigo’s are proudly displayed in Talya’s shop.) At 14, Talya started out behind the deli counter, and by 19 she had become the store’s youngest general manager.

Over the course of her Frigo career, she learned how to make sausage, how to cut veal, how to trim prosciutto, crazy knife skills, and so much more. She now is teaching her staff those same skills.

At Springfield College, Talya majored in business, then got her MBA. “I really knew deep down I wanted to open up my own store because all of my projects, my business plan that I had to do as my final, and every other kind of business-related tasks that I had for school, I always based it off of my own hopes and dreams to open up a store.”

So, when she was ready to pull the trigger, she used the business plan she created in college, with a few tweaks.

After college, Talya worked in the software industry. “Even though I was selling software for years, I just always saw myself behind a counter helping people,” she said.

Talya started doing charcuterie boards for friends and family on the side in 2020 to keep busy during COVID. Her friends urged her to start an Instagram account to showcase her boards. A month after starting the

account, Caught in Southie found her and posted about her. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I have to get this going!’ ”

After only a few days of being open, she already is going gangbusters!

The top three sandwiches from opening weekend were the Dom (crispy chicken cutlet, melted asiago & pecorino cheese, fresh arugula, & lemon dressing), the PESTOlano (crispy chicken cutlet, imported prosciutto, melted fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, fresh arugula, and pesto dressing), and her namesake, Talya’s Dirty Italian (peppered ham, mortadella, hot capicola, hot soppressata, hot mix, asiago cheese, lettuce, tomato, EVOO & vinegar).

Where did the name Dirty Italian come from?

After graduating from college, Lisa and Joe asked her what she’d like for a graduation gift. “I want a sandwich named after me,” Talya said.

She had a customer who would come into Frigo’s and ask for the classic Italian, but he wanted her to make it dirty by adding hot pepper mix. So eventually, whenever that customer saw Talya, he

would cut the line to get to her and he would say to her, “I want a classic but …”

“And I would have to say, ‘Make it dirty.’ My aunt and uncle were like, ‘OK, we’ll call it the Dirty Italian.’ And I was like, ‘No, Talya’s Dirty Italian.’ ”

It became an inside joke with friends and family, so when she started her charcuterie side gig, she knew she had to incorporate the name.

Talya has lived in South Boston for 10 years and knew this was where she wanted to open her shop.

“The community itself is so warm and outgoing. Everyone is so supportive, no matter what you do. I’ve always had the feeling that everyone watches out for each other and it’s really shown through the restaurant community,” Talya said, noting that other owners have been so helpful to her through the whole process.

“So I just knew immediately from the get-go that this was always going to be somewhere that I wanted to really keep my roots.”

She’s already thinking ahead of what she can add to the menu, including beach specials, boxed lunches, specialty items, and more grab-and-go dinners. She is also going to offer classes.

“I love hearing the feedback from the customers,” Talya said. “I want to get more feedback. It’s been really, really fun. I really do enjoy having the feedback from the customer, because if you don’t, then I’m never going to improve.”

The Dirty Italian is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Instagram: @ talyasdirtyitalian Website: https:// thedirtyitalian.com/

Dirty Italian (Con’t)

Curley Center’s L Street Beach Opened

by Rick Winterson

It took over three years and more than $31 million to reopen the Curley Community Center – much longer and more costly than originally planned. And another seven weeks passed before L Street Beach could be reopened, due to piping plovers nesting there and permit delays. The young plovers fledged and flew away around the Fourth of July; the City permit that allowed the beach to reopen took longer.

On Tuesday morning, July 25, L Street Beach, the main central portion of the Curley Community Center’s quarter mile of beach, finally reopened.

South Boston Online was granted a brief interview with Andrea Flaherty, the current Director of the Curley Community Center. She went over the rules with us: for now, only the middle section called L Street Beach will be open to the Community Center’s members. Open hours will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., five days a week – Tuesday through Saturday. The beach will be closed on Sunday and Monday, at least for now. Parents must accompany all young

people – 18 and under – onto the beach.

Another topic we talked over with Andrea was opening the beaches on either side of L Street Beach, on the K Street side and the M Street side, as well as having L Street Beach open seven days a week. Her answer was simple – as we all know, skilled help is very difficult to find around Boston. That includes people who are qualified lifeguards. Quite correctly, Andrea will expand beaches and their hours only when she’s sure that there will be adequate, safe coverage.

In our opinion, it is essential that all of us in South Boston realize the Curley Community Center is in its

“Start-up” phase. It would be impossible – and unsafe – to do everything all at once. A Start-up must be done stepby-step in order for it to be successful. We spoke briefly to the two lifeguards who were on duty on Tuesday – Evan Harris and Ben Cohen. They are both well-trained and certified in various lifesaving tasks, such as resuscitation. Ben completed his training a few months ago. Evan has been a licensed lifeguard for ten years, since he was 15. Both of them are enthusiastic about their new jobs at the Curley Community Center. Be sure to welcome Evan and Ben to South Boston when you first go to L Street Beach.

Kids’ Day at the Southie Farmers Market

by Rick Winterson

Our Farmers Market has become a South Boston tradition by now. It completed two full decades of service to the South Boston neighborhood last year in 2022; it’ll celebrate 25 years of service to us in 2027. These days, the South Boston Farmers Market is sponsored by the South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation after being managed by Community Health Center for its first 13 years.

Frequently, the Farmers Market sponsors a special “Day”. Youthful activities and goodies were on offer from noontime until 3:30 in the afternoon. Early on, about thirty young folks from St. Peter Academy on Fourth Street showed up to take part in a “Recovery Relay” that involved a race collecting articles of trash and depositing them in a wastebasket at the finish line. The St. Peter kids, in their yellow school T-shirts, really enjoyed themselves – they were certainly a sight to see.

Around 1 p.m., a Boston Police truck labelled “Operation Hoodsie” showed up. A group of students from the SBCA (the South Boston Catholic Academy) had shown up at the Farmers Market as well. A smiling Boston Police Officer Tim Wilson then gave away Hoodsies to everyone who wanted one (and going back for seconds was encouraged). Dani, the Children’s Librarian from the South Boston Branch Library, set up a table next to the Farmers Market and talked about good summer reading to the young people at Kids’ Day.

As usual, the 2023 South Boston

Farmers Market operates every Monday from the Spring through the month of October. This year, it’s opening at 11 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. Riverdale Farm is our South Boston farm vendor, bringing fresh, Massachusetts-grown produce from their multi-purpose farm in Groton in their own truck. They use their own stand, set up conveniently on West Broadway on the Perkins Square sidewalk between the parking lot and the #9 bus stop – and it’s shady! Riverdale’s versatile 200-acre farm features hothouses that allow produce to be brought to market earlier than usual in the summer. Butter-andsugar corn with fully ripe kernels was an early special offering this recent Monday. The two Riverdale employees at the Farmers Market on Monday are

coincidentally each named Sean – one of the Seans manages the counters of produce, the other Sean handles the checkout – in cash, on credit cards, or by accepting EBT food stamps.

Interestingly, several young graduates of the “Youth Ambassadors Program”, which is overseen by Linda Doran at the Health Center, are now employed by Donna Brown, Executive Director of the South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation. They provide much of the necessary support for the Farmers Market each week. Courtney Mulligan, along with Jake, Vi, and Ibe, were on hand last Monday. Samantha Mackie, a Marketing Associate at the newly opened head office of the City of Boston

Credit Union, staffed a table at last Monday’s Farmers Market as well. You’re encouraged to visit the Farmers Market next Monday on your own. Yes, the main purpose for going there is to purchase fresh produce, of course. But please take your time while you are there. Greet your friends. Talk with anyone attending to a table; speak to the marketeers from Riverdale Farm – they themselves love their work. Note the many, many T-shirts that are imprinted with anything from Taylor Swift to “Urban Explorers Summer Program” to Veterans for Peace. The South Boston Farmers Market is an opportunity to enjoy shopping in a quiet, take-your-time way.

Continued from Page 1 Sailing

“It’s an amazing activity to do in the summer,” said Wil Hingston, assistant director. “It just kind of allows you to experience the ocean in a new way.”

The Sailing Center, located on Castle Island, is open to kids ages 8-15. The summer program runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday through Aug. 31. Parents can sign up their kids at any point during the summer, said Wil, a senior at Merrimack College majoring in health science with an eye toward a nursing degree.

Wil and director Michaela Bavis grew up in the program. And so did all the staff.

“I started off as a sailor at the age of 9,” Wil said. “I’m 21 and I’m still here. It just has a hold on you.”

This is Michaela’s first year as director. “But I was here when I was younger,” she said. “And I live in Southie, born and raised, so I know a good majority of all the kids.”

In addition to sailing, kids learn responsibility, teamwork, organization, and how to help others, Wil said.

“It gives them all accountability and teaches them life lessons,” Michaela said, noting they also gain confidence and experience camaraderie. “The kids are really good.”

The kids agree that learning to sail is really fun. And parents love the program’s flexibility. They can drop off their kids at any time and pick them up at any time between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., said Michaela, 33, who works with special needs kids at the Tynan during the school year.

Michaela said it’s so important for kids to have a place to go, and the fact that this program is free is an amazing bonus. “You want your kids to have a great experience,” she said. “It’s a good foundation for a community. It’s nice to be able to have a place to feel

confident and have a good summer. And parents don’t have to worry.”

The program has about 500 signups but no more than 80 kids usually show up on any given day, Wil said. There are 23 staff members, all lifeguardcertified, and they teach the kids how to sail and keep an eagle eye on the water.

Lessons include how to tie nautical knots, how to rig the boat, the actual sailing, and how to de-rig, roll up the sails, and clean up properly.

Once the kids are comfortable in the boat, the young sailors can take a test to get a license to sail solo in the program. “It just gives them a little bit of freedom

and a little bit of confidence,” said Wil, whose duties include social media for the center. It also allows them to take more of a leadership role in the program and help others learn how to sail. “Compared to all the other summer camps that are in the Boston area, I feel like it’s the most unique and has a lot more to offer.”

Follow the Sailing Center on social media:

Facebook: https:// www.facebook.com/ HarryMcdonoughSailing

Sr Babe Sweeps First Round Playoff Series

The Southie Sr Babe squad kicked off the first round of the playoffs on Monday, July 24th against Braintree down at Joe Moakley Park.

Jerry O’Neil got the ball for game one and would need only 40 pitches to cruise through the first 5 innings allowing just one hit and adding 6 strikeouts.

The Southie offense and a sloppy Brainteee defense took over from there as runs were put up early and often that

would have the locals up 10-0 after 4 innings. Southie would hold Braintree scoreless in the 5th inning and were able to walk off winners in a mercy rule shortened game. Joey Macomber, Stephen Flynn, and Geno Juliano all had multi hit games. Joe Greene, Tristin Pecevich, Jerry O’Neil, and Ryan McGarrell all added one hit apiece.

After a couple field changes and an extra days wait due to severe flooding, South Boston traveled to Watson Park in Braintree for

game two on Wednesday July 26th.

Geno Juliano got the start on the mound in this one and pitched well over the course of 5 innings scattering 5 hits and striking out 3.

Southie took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Stephen Flynn singled in Joey Macomber with the games first run. Juliano would make it 2-0 after 2 when he scored on a wild pitch. Tristin Pecevich slugged a 2-run inside the park home run in the 3rd inning that put Southie

up 4-1 after 3. A five run 5th inning highlighted by RBI hits from O’Neil and Pecevich helped Southie blow the game wide open. Final score in this one was 10-2. Flynn, Pecevich and O’Neil would all have multi-hit games and lead off man Macomber added a single and 3 runs scored. Next up for the Southie boys will be a semi-final round matchup with Dorchester. Games are still TBD until the WollastonBrockton series is complete.

Sr Babe Ruth (Cont)

Condon Fun Fest

The BCYF Fun Fest at the Condon Community Center last week drew a huge crowd. Everyone had an amazing time. Free activities included music, a cookout, dunk tank, Mega Obstacle Course,

DJ and dance party, snow cones and cotton candy, face painting, Hoop Mania, the BPD ice cream truck, special guest performances, giveaways and information about BCYF Condon Community Center’s programming and activities.

The Law Office of

Paul J. Gannon PC

South Boston Kids and Teens Joined Beach Bash

As heat and humidity soared, 500 kids beat the heat at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s annual Youth Beach Bash on DCR’s Constitution Beach in East Boston, including 112 kids and leaders from the South Boston Neighborhood House.

While JetBlue volunteers served sandwiches and drinks, the kids played soccer, made sand art, got fishing lessons from Save the Harbor’s youth staff, kayak rides with Piers Park Sailing Center, and heard tales of the high seas from drag performer Big Ohh as the infamous pirate Mary Read. Shirley Fabbo from the East Boston Chamber of Commerce was also present at the event.

“We couldn’t do events and programs like this without the sustained and generous support of our partners and funders, especially  the Healey/Driscoll Administration and the Department of Conservation and Recreation.” said Save The Harbor/ Save The Bay’s Executive Director Chris Mancini.  We’re so grateful, too for our incredible donors at Liberty Mutual Foundation, CocaCola Company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Eastern Salt Company, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, JetBlue, John Hancock Financial Services, Massport, the Mass Cultural Council,

the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and the National Grid Foundation, and of course the hundreds of individual donors who support us every year.”

Mancini went on to acknowledge donors Alexandria, Amazon, Bay State Cruise Company, BXP - Atlantic Wharf, City of Boston Department of Youth Engagement and Employment, the Comcast Foundation, Constellation Generation, the Cronin Group, Hood Park, HYM Investment Group, Income Research and Management Charitable Trust, Leader Bank Pavilion/Live Nation, Massachusetts Bay Lines, Massachusetts Water

Resources Authority, National Development, Nutter, P & G Gillette, Pembroke Real Estate, Lawrence J. and Anne Rubenstein Charitable Foundation, RWE Clean Energy, William E. Schrafft & Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust, Clinton H. & Wilma T. Shattuck Charitable Trust, and the Vertex Foundation.

To learn more about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the great work they do to restore, protect and Share Boston Harbor, the waterfront, islands, and the region’s public beaches with all Bostonians and the region’s residents, visit their website at www.savetheharbor.org and follow  @savetheharbor on social media.

Virtual Public Meeting

B Street

Residential Project

Tuesday,

Project Proponent: Dunmoe Group LLC

Project Description:

The BPDA is hosting a virtual Public Meeting for the proposed 118 B Street Residential Project located in South Boston. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the Small Project Review Application (SPRA) that was filed and its potential impacts. The meeting will include a presentation followed by questions and comments from the public.

The proposed project is to consist of 37 new residential apartment units, primarily market rate, with six affordable units in accordance with the City’s Inclusionary Development Policy. The project site is occupied by a one- to three-story commercial building, with a street-facing surface parking lot.

mail to: Scott Greenhalgh

Boston Planning & Development Agency

One City Hall Square, 9th Floor Boston, MA 02201

phone: 617.918.4271 email: scott.greenhalgh@boston.gov

Close

Over 400 kids and teens joined Jetblue, TrikeHub, and Grooversity before their big splash at Consuttion Beach. Photo by Katy Rogers.

Kids from the South Boston Neighborhood House enjoying zen sand raking at Save The Harbor/Save The Bay’s Beach Bash. Photo by Irka Perez.