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| The Newsletter of the High Street Hill Association | June 2011 |
Sunday, Father's Day, June 19
4PM to 8PM
Bring family, friends, a dish to share and
something for the grill
Soft drinks and grills will be provided
Pony Rides
(from 4:30 to 5:30 only)
The 16-month-long decision process for traffic calming on High Street and Pond Avenue is finally at an end (see past Highlights). After significant input from the neighborhood the Transportation Board approved the plan on May 19 and on June 1 Town Meeting overwhelmingly turned down a warrant article that threatened to invalidate the lengthy process. For more than 10 years the HSHA has lobbied for these safety improvements and we look forward to their implementation. Thanks to all who helped out especially John Carpenter, Betsy Shure Gross, Lisa Frost and Diana Post. Thanks also to Town staff Todd Kirrane and Kurt Fraser and the Transportation Board.
According to Town Engineer Peter Ditto the repaving of potholelaced Walnut Street, which had been scheduled for summer 2011, has been postponed due to more pressing town projects. He also said that since the Town wanted to correct some of the mistakes made by the last traffic calming effort in 2001 they wanted to convene a neighborhood input hearing (hopefully this fall) before proceeding.
This year's HSHA Musicale, held at the home of Jean and John Peteet on May 15, was absolutely amazing. Four members of the Manhattan Camerata, led by Lucia Caruso on piano and Pedro da Silva on Portuguese guitar and sitar, played a vibrant and thrilling set of their special brand of music, a fusion of the classical and the modern, from the Old World and the New. To catch a glimpse of these rising stars see their website. And thanks to Maria Connor and the Peteets' for their efforts to provide this memorable event.
A Walnut Street resident needs a parking space before July 1. If you have one to rent, please call Nancy Peabody at 617-277-5456 or email at njp102@verizon.net.
We've had a great response. So far 103 households have paid the $15 annual dues with about one half of the members including an extra donation to support the HSHA and its activities. Total collected: $2955. THANKS!
The membership of the High Street Hill Association made a strong showing at the Annual Meeting on May 2 at the Latvian Church.
A mouth-watering spread of dinners, salads, and desserts was provided by all who attended, and everyone enjoyed dining and socializing during the first hour of the evening.
After dinner, outgoing president Rob Daves introduced the featured speakers of the evening. Alan Khazei and Vanessa Kirsch are familiar to many residents as long-time Pill Hill neighbors and as a result of Alan's high-profile run for Senate in 2009. But the couple was invited to speak because of their deep commitment to service in communities around the world. Vanessa spoke of her work through New Profit Inc., an innovative social entrepreneurship venture firm she runs in Boston, while Alan discussed his goals and work in founding the service organizations City Year and Be the Change. Their talk was filled with warmth and humor as well as the couple's signature passion for service and philanthropy.
Following a brief legislative update by Kate-Marie Roycroft, an aide to Rep. Jeffrey Sánchez, Rob told the assembled audience that, in its own spirit of community service, the Board was recommending making contributions to two programs that directly affect the quality of life in our neighborhood. The first program is Steps to Success (STS), a nonprofit educational organization based at the Lincoln School that provides coaching and mentoring for disadvantaged students throughout town to help prepare them for college. Many of the students in the program live in the two housing projects in our neighborhood. After Ramon De Jesus, high school advisor for STS made some remarks, Rob presented him with a check for $1,000 from HSHA which he described as a challenge to the other neighborhood associations in town to step up for Steps to Success.
The other HSHA program donation was in support of Olmsted Park: $500 toward the planting of a red oak tree at the Allerton Overlook to replace a tree that was removed last year; and a $500 donation to co-sponsor two events (with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and the Town Parks Department) planned for the Overlook this summer -- a concert by the Boston Pops Ensemble and a family movie (Toy Story 3). The membership voted unanimously to support these donations.
Treasurer Blake Cady then gave a report on the association's 2010 financials (we ended the year with a $4,030.37 balance, which includes dues, voluntary donations, and income from the amazon.com link on the HSHA website). He encouraged members to pay their dues soon. On that note, based on a Board recommendation, the membership unanimously voted to raise the annual dues to $25, beginning in 2012, the first such increase in recent memory.
2011 HSHA Board
(see website for contact info)
Bill Weber, President
Olivia Fisher Fox, Vice President
Margot Balboni, Secretary
Blake Cady, Treasurer
Rob Daves, Past President
John Carpenter
Maria Connor
Anthony Flint
Betsy Shure Gross
Kristin Leader
Alexis Hasiotis Wintersteen
Board member Betsy Shure Gross then reported for the Nominating Committee. After a unanimous vote, a new slate of officers was elected (see sidebar). Rob thanked outgoing board members Jennifer Shea, Liz Craig-Olins, and Dick Robb for their services.
Following the vote, new president Bill Weber surprised his predecessor with remarks and a presentation in honor of Rob Daves' long and inspiring leadership in service of the HSHA and Brookline citizens at large. Citing such accomplishments as his deft navigating of the complex traffic issues of Pond and High streets; serving as point person for the neighborhood's interests in the Gateway East Project; skillfully chaperoning a town-wide survey on preservation issues; revitalizing the High Street Hill Association's Friends of Leverett Pond and Olmsted Park efforts; and personally constructing and installing the new benches on Philbrick Green, Bill presented Rob with a commemorative photo of a neighborhood cast aluminum street sign (yet another passion) and announced that the new red oak at Allerton Overlook would be dedicated in Rob's honor. In addition, Bill announced that the Board had decided to establish an annual Rob Daves Community Service Award in his honor, with Rob as the inaugural recipient (and on June 6, Rob was honored with a Neighborhood Leadership Award at the annual meeting of the Brookline Neighborhood Alliance).
On that happy and inspiring note, the meeting adjourned.
-- Bill Weber
Planning Board Meeting
Preliminary presentation of proposed project to construct a three
story office building on the former Red Cab site on Boylston Street.
7:30PM Thursday, June 9, Town Hall Room 111.
Summer in the Park
Bring your family and friends and maybe a picnic basket to
Olmsted Park for these two HSHA co-sponsored events:
7PM Sunday, August 7: Movie Night featuring Toy Story 3
6PM Sunday, August 14: The Boston Pops Ensemble
Both at the Allerton Overlook in Olmsted Park near the intersection of
Pond Avenue and Allerton Street.
Olmsted Park Volunteers Needed
The Emerald Necklace Conservancy is looking for
help to remove invasive plants on the Boston side of Olmsted Park.
10AM to 1PM Saturday, June 11.
A Short Walk On a Long Day
Celebrate the summer solstice with a walk on the longest day of the year in our own Olmsted Park
which features three ponds, a babbling brook, and some of the most beautiful bridges within the
Emerald Necklace park system. Sponsored by the
Brookline GreenSpace Alliance.
6PM Tuesday, June 21. Meet at corner of Pond Ave and Willow Pond Rd.
The Highlight is printed several times a year and is distributed on foot or by bicycle by HSHA Board members and their usually willing family members. If you have a comment or contribution contact the editor, Rob Daves, at 617-566-7334 or robdaves@rcn.com.