East Boston Main Streets Launches Eastie Strong: Partnership with local businesses to support struggling restaurant industry

 

(EAST BOSTON, October 5, 2020) – East Boston Main Streets (EBMS) announced today that it is launching Eastie Strong, a partnership between EBMS and local real estate developers to provide much needed financial support to local restaurants, as they re-open during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The initiative has two components. The first is “Adopt a Patio” which will provide capital to fund reopening costs related to complying with COVID-19 restrictions. The funds will be used to purchase items such as outdoor furniture, umbrellas, and space heaters. The second component is a “gift card program” under which sponsors will distribute gifts cards directly to tenants for use only at participating local restaurants. 

“We wanted to find a way to help our tenants as well as contribute to the local restaurant economy which has suffered greatly during the pandemic,” said Stephen Davis of The Davis Companies. “Thanks to East Boston Main Streets we can help our tenants afford a night out while providing a financial lifeline to restaurants and support the overall health of the East Boston economy,” added David Grossman of The Grossman Companies, who is spearheading the fundraising component of the program with The Davis Companies.

Gladys Oliveros, the Executive Director of EBMS, is running the program. “Over the course of the pandemic, we have discovered many unique challenges that local restaurants face: lack of access to government Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, decreased revenue from customers, and the need for capital to help cover the cost of creating new outdoor seating. This partnership will help address these problems while encouraging East Boston residents to dine at the many wonderful restaurants operating locally.”

EBMS Board (acting) President, Ida R. Candreva added, “The Board is excited to enter into a partnership that will support local restaurants.  Historically, this neighborhood has thrived on the local small businesses built by local residents.  This pandemic is certainly taking its toll on many of our neighborhood’s businesses and its vitality. This partnership will help put money back into our community and our local businesses, an important component to keeping ‘Eastie Strong’.  Thank you to our sponsors and thank you to Gladys for taking this project head on.” 

Founded in 1995, EBMS is a nonprofit community improvement organization serving the diverse neighborhoods of East Boston with a focus on Maverick and Central Squares. EBMS has been working to support local restaurants and businesses through the immediate shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, connecting business owners to grants and helping to navigate evolving reopening guidelines. EBMS aims to create a vibrant business district by initiating private and public improvements, promoting commerce, and supporting efforts to improve the quality of life for all who live, work and do business in East Boston. 

The first round of Adopt-A-Patio funding will be distributed in mid-October with a potential second round in November, depending on need and resources. Sponsors of the program, as of this writing, include The Davis Companies, The Grossman Companies, Roseland, The Novus Group, MG2, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Trinity Financial, Volnay Capital, LendLease, and Norfolk Kitchen and Bath. Sponsors expect the list to grow over the coming weeks.

Italian American Alliance: The Real Story about the Columbus Statue in Boston; "Mayor broke his word."

The following is a statement released today by the Italian American Alliance.

The Italian American ALLIANCE is not fooled by Mayor Walsh’s recent actions concerning the Columbus statue, For starters, the Mayor broke his word to the ALLIANCE. 

In a private ZOOM meeting between Mayor Walsh, and the ALLIANCE -- which took place shortly after the Columbus statue was vandalized --the ALLIANCE  gathered residents of the North End and Donors of the statue to participate in the meeting. During that meeting, Mayor Walsh was very emphatic about several points.

1. The statue’s head had been smashed into 7 pieces and would take time to repair. However, he pledged to have it repaired.
2. He asked for time. He said that in the present climate, it was not the right time to make a decision. He said he would listen to a variety of opinions before making a final decision – AND THAT HE WOULD HAVE A SECOND MEETING WITH THE ALLIANCE BEFORE ANNOUNCING IT.
3. He asked us to keep the meeting confidential and out of the press – which we did with some misgiving and reluctance.

WE ARE DISAPPOINED AT THE OVERALL PROCESS AND ARE CONSIDERING LEGAL OPTIONS.

While some cautioned us not to trust Walsh, we did. It now appears that our trust was a mistake.  However, there’s no other way of saying it. The Mayor did not keep his word.

There are significant questions as to whether all the donors of the statue were ever consulted about Walsh’s decision.

There’s a need to review the terms of the gift to the city. There’s a need to know WHERE THE STATUE WILL BE PLACED. There’s also a need to know where the North End Council will pledge to develop substantial security around the statue and whether it INTENDS to meet the costs of carrying sufficient insurance for costs of repair should the statue be vandalized again.

In the end, there are serious questions concerning the overall process taken by Walsh which the ALLIANCE intends to pursue.

We are now creating a BOSTON COLUMBUS STATUE COMMISSION. Please let us know if you would like to get personally involved. Email us at Frankwrote@aol.com.

MAYOR WALSH MAY THINK SO – BUT THIS IS NOT OVER !

Submitted October 7, 2020

Background: Boston Herald "Boston Christopher Columbus statue won’t come back to site — but will remain in North End." October 6, 2020

Councilor Edwards issues statement on Housing Stability Notification Act

BOSTON (7 October 2020) - Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards has issued the following statement on the ordinance filed by Mayor Martin J. Walsh which would require landlords to distribute materials to tenants on their rights prior to filing an eviction:

“I want to thank Mayor Walsh for filing this ordinance and asking that the council pass it during today’s hearing. These actions show a sense of urgency that is required of all elected officials in Massachusetts with the eviction and foreclosure moratorium set to end in 10 days. I can promise the mayor, my colleagues on the council, tenants, landlords, homeowners and housing advocates across Boston that as the chair of both the Housing and Community Development and Government Operations committees I am committed to ensuring this body will pass a comprehensive ordinance protecting renters and owners facing eviction or foreclosure. I am committed to doing so before the moratorium ends on the 17th or immediately afterward during our weekly meeting on the 21st.

The ordinance filed by the mayor is a good starting point, but it is just that: a start. We must go further than what’s being proposed today to protect Bostonians from the coming housing crisis.

The Mayor should call upon the Boston Public Health Commission to issue an emergency order establishing a moratorium on eviction enforcement during the pandemic. This would prevent the levying of an eviction order on commercial and residential tenants and protect tenants against people entering their unit except in limited circumstances. Governor Baker and Mayor Walsh have requested that residents stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Evictions would make this impossible and would increase the risk to public health and safety.

Boston should also implement one of the proposals in the Housing Stability Act (H.5018/S.2918) at the statehouse and provide property tax relief for landlords that do not evict tenants for unpaid rent. This measure will provide much needed financial relief for landlords who are facing foreclosure as a result of their tenants not paying rent.

Finally, the mayor should call upon Governor Baker to do his job and lead the nation in cancelling rent and mortgage payments until the pandemic ends. Tenants, landlords, and homeowners throughout the Commonwealth are facing an unprecedented crisis on the 17th if we don’t take immediate action. I look forward to working with the administration, my colleagues and the housing advocates who have not had the opportunity to review today’s proposal on finding solutions to the challenges ahead.”

Source: Councilor Edwards' office 10/7/20

photo credit: EastBoston.com