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MINUTES OF THE NEWMARKET BUSINESS ASSOCIATION |
Membership Meeting held on December 13th, 2006
The meeting was called to order at 8:20 am by Vice President Ben Goldfarb. Members in attendance introduced themselves. It was then stated that donations of both toys and money would be accepted at this morning’s meeting. These donations will go to the Col. Daniel Marr Boys & Girls Club, which assists over 4000 children in the South Boston/Dorchester area.
Immediately following introductions, guest speaker Kathy McCabe was introduced to the membership. Ms. McCabe is a consultant to the BRA, working on a 6 month contract, at the request of the Mayor. Her work is to determine how the City can be more supportive of the industrial business community, particularly in the Newmarket area.
Many of the issues she will be considering will be limited land, density of users and customers, transportation needs, development pressure, difficulty in permitting, and fixed costs.
At the end of her contract, Ms. McCabe will make recommendations to the Mayor and the BRA regarding the City’s role in the continued economic growth of the Newmarket Industrial District, the Flower Exchange and the New Boston Food Market.
Upon conclusion of Ms. McCabe’s discussion and question and answer period, there were reports from all of the standing committees.
It was then announced that at the November meeting the speaking topic will be “Employee Stock Option Programs”, which offer alternatives by which owners looking to sell can sell their business to their employees.
Committee Reports:
Mason School: Jennifer O’Neil told the membership that Principal Janet Palmer Owens had a bad fall in November and broke her foot. She has been resting at home since then, although impatiently awaiting her doctor’s okay to return.
Budget and Finance: Contribution account balance is approx. $5,700., Mason School account balance is $4,200 and Newmarket account balance is $1,260.
2007 dues letters are do to go out before the end of December.
A Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for later in October, and an important agenda item will be a discussion of the dues structure. Unpaid invoice reminders will be sent out in the next three days.
Contributions: No Report.
Public Affairs: The organization of the Annual Spring Fundraiser is underway. Members have been asked to recommend any suitable venues for the occasion. Both the Museum of Fine Arts and the Baside Expo Center (in conjunction with the New England Flower Show) were mentioned as possibilities.
Safety: The Safety Committee was asked to pass on a request for street light maintainance as a number of street lights in the area of Southampton Street are not working. There have been some automobile break-ins recently, but overall things have been relatively quite. The panhandling at the Mass. Ave./ Melnea Cass Intersection continues to be an issue.
Issues:
- 30 Norfolk Avenue: Due to timing issues, the Board of Appeals allowed a permit for plans for a garage structure at 30 Norfolk Avenue prior to a recommendation by the NBA. The permit was granted, however, with the understanding that the owners would met with the NBA and obtain a letter of support from the organization. The owners, Brooksdale Construction, presented the plans at the December Issues Meeting. The Issues Committee recommends that a letter of support be sent. A motion was made and seconded and approved unanimously by the members present.
- Evening Commute Traffic: As a result of some recent changes to the traffic lane configuration on Route 93 and the on ramp at the South Bay Mall, evening commute traffic is once again all but gridlocked in the Newmarket area on a daily basis. Sue Sullivan & Maureen Lacey (Transcomm/Boston Medical Center) are spearheading an effort to remedy this issue. It will be imperative that all of our members also get involved in this issue. Further updates will come later.
Membership:
Jeanne Richardson, Chairperson, discussed the current effort to expand our membership and to nurture our current membership. Business surveys will be taken of all Newmarket members in January in hopes of gathering information that will allow Newmarket to continue to serve the needs of its membership.
The meeting adjourned at 9:30 am.
Membership
Meeting held on October 11th, 2006
at the Hampton Inn & Suites, 811 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston
The meeting was called to order at 8:20 am by President John Marston. Members in attendance introduced themselves. There were reports from all of the standing committees.
It was then announced that at the November meeting the speaking topic will be “Employee Stock Option Programs”, which offer alternatives by which owners looking to sell can sell their business to their employees.
Committee Reports:
Mason School: Chuck Levin, the committee chair, introduced Jennifer O’Neil who is the new Director of Partnerships at the school.
Jennifer indicated to the membership that the Mason is looking at the possibility of expanding. It is currently K – Grade 5, and is looking to become K – Grade 8. Some students from Northeastern & Harvard are researching the possibilities.
There continues to be some safety issues at the school, primarily revolving around car break-ins.
Budget and Finance: Contribution account balance is approx. $5,800., Mason School account balance is $1,247 and Newmarket account balance is $5,039.
Treasurer Jim Stauffer announced that the NBA 2005 tax returns have all been filed.
A Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for later in October, and an important agenda item will be a discussion of the dues structure. Unpaid invoice reminders will be sent out in the next three days.
Contributions: A synopsis of donations made by the Contributions Committee during the pat month was given by Brian Maloney, Chairperson. In addition, a Contributions Report for the entire year to date was handed out to members in attendance. This report is available on the NBA website. A total of $16,618. has been donated so far this year.
Public Affairs: The Annual Meeting was held in September for the first time this year. It had previously been held in the summer. Attendance was very strong and we had a terrific speaker in John Drew, President of the World Trade Center, Boston. We need volunteers to help with the March Fundraiser.
We are also looking into the possibility of purchasing group tickets to the Radio City Christmas Show at the Wang Center. More info to follow.
Safety: The Safety Committee met during the past week to discuss some concerns particularly in the Shirley Street area of Newmarket. The Shirley Eustis House and neighboring properties and businesses have been experiencing a large increase in unsavory activity over the recent months. After the meeting one of the officers from District B-2 went over to the Shirley Eustis House to further discuss the issues.
The police captains present from B2, C6 & D4 also indicated that car break-ins continue to be a problem. They strongly recommend that you leave nothing visible in your car when you leave it. There was a lot of discussion about the possibility of surveillance cameras and it was agreed to continue this discussion as well as conduct a survey of members as to which ones have surveillance cameras on their properties.
The police also indicated that all incidents should be reported to the police even if insurance covers it because they need to be able to track a pattern in a particular area.
Illegal dumping is also an issue. There are illegal dumping grants from the State Department of Environmental Protection potentially available. The NBA will be looking into these. R & R Sales currently participates in that program.
Issues:
- Costa Provision Company: Costa is going before Board of Appeals for a permit to legalize office trailer on property for use in used car sales business. The timing of the hearing required that the Issues Committee make the NBA recommendation.The committee sent a letter of support for the use to the Board of Appeals.
- Hope House: Hope House is a 6 month recovery program for recovery from drug and alcohol addiction for men. The Program is looking to relocate from the South End to Hampden Street. The facility would include an 80 bed dorm style area and a separate 22 unit extended stay (up to one year). They need to go before the Board of Appeals for variances dealing with open space, density, parking, and use (which is not allowed per the zoning code).
The Issues Committee has no recommendation because it could not come to a clear agreement. After much discussion, a motion was made by Bonnie Gossels to oppose the variances on the basis of the zoning code. It was seconded by Marlowe Sigal and voted on and accepted by the Board. A letter will be sent to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
- The Newmarket gateway signage program has hit a snag, as the RFP process netted proposals that indicated a significantly higher cost for the signs than was initially anticipated. Options are currently being explored.
- Sue Sullivan discussed recent conversations with Mayor Menino and members of his Backstreets staff, in which the Mayor has reiterated his commitment to Newmarket, but also wants the area to look like a cohesive, identifiable area. Toward this end, Emmy Hahn, with the State Department of Economic Development, is scheduled to speak at our December meeting about the value of creating a “Business Improvement District”. A BID is only one of a number of options available which we will be exploring in the next year.
Sue Sullivan announced that a Board of Directors meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, October 26, 2006 at 8am. The location of the meeting will be announced.
The meeting adjourned at 9:30 am.
Membership
Meeting held on June 14th, 2006
at the Victoria Restaurant, 1024 Massachusetts Avenue,
Boston
The meeting was called to order at 8:15 am by President John Marston. Members in attendance introduced themselves. There were reports from all of the standing committees and then a special presentation by representatives from Inner City Entrepreneurs.
Committee Reports:
Mason School: The Masontenial 100 year anniversary gala was a great success with over 400 people in attendance. The school raised over $25,000. and many Newmarket members were important supporters of the event. The assistance of Middlesex Truck & Coach, R & R Sales, Jacobson Flowers and the Hampton Suites was vital as were the efforts of many of our other members.
Alan Michael showed our members a DVD video of the event and any members who would like to purchase a copy of the video can do so by contacting the school.
Budget and Finance: Contribution account balance is approx. $18,000., Mason School account balance is $1,868 and Newmarket account balance is $11,568. Third invoices for dues will be sent out during the next couple of weeks. Please pay dues promptly.
Contributions: Donations were sent this month to Bessie Tartt Wilson Foundation ($500); Boston Area Health Center ($1500.), Neighborhood Crime Watch Program($500); Boston Bengals Pop Warner Program ($250.); BPD District 6 CSO Youth Program ($500.). Total of $3,250. in new donations. $8,265. total donated so far this year.
Public Affairs: The Annual Fundraiser at the Museum of Science raised over $16,000. toward our contribution efforts. The Annual Meeting will take place in September. Nominations will be solicited at the July & August meetings.
- Computer Warehouse has changed its name to Tech Networks of Boston.
- Wally Stevens of Slade Gorton will be retiring at the end of the month and the company is asking Newmarket members to drop off notes or remembrances for inclusion in a book.
Safety: Sargeant Meade from District C6 reported on a few episodes of stolen cars in the area. In addition, on June 9th, there was an armed robbery at UHAUL. It was captured on closed circuit tv and the police are following up. The area around McDonalds and On The Run continues to be a hotbed of drug activity.
Issues:
- Kinnealey Meat Company has purchased the operations of the John Dewar company. In turn, John Dewar will assume a position within the Kinnealey Meat Company.
- The Ground Round, located at the Hampton Inn – Crosstown will be opening in early August.
- The Newmarket gateway signage program has hit a snag, as the RFP process netted proposals that indicated a significantly higher cost for the signs than was initially anticipated. Options are currently being explored.
- Beginning in late June, the Albany Street entrance to the Hampton Inn will be closed for one year while construction takes place for the new on-site office building and parking garage. The building will be approx. 200,000. square feet, with 150,000. to be utilized by BUMC and Brigham & Womens Hospital and 50,000. sq. ft. in retail space; services; etc. There will be approx. 600 spaces of parking in the new garage.
The NBA received notification regarding Costa Provisions Board of Appeal request to legalize the use of a trailer on their property at the corner of Southampton Street and Newmarket Square, as the operation center for a used car lot. Due to the inability to access the information prior to the Board of Appeals date, the NBA suggested to Costa Provision that they may want to wait until a later date. Costa chose to do this and it will be request a continuance until the issues have been discussed.
A discussion and presentation by Inner City Entrepreneurs followed the meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 9:30 am.
Membership
Meeting held on February 8th, 2006
at the Hampton Inn & Suites, 811 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston
The meeting was called to order at 8:15 am by President John Marston. Members in attendance introduced themselves. There were reports from all of the standing committees and then a special presentation by representatives from Keyspan.
Committee Reports:
Mason School: The teachers are preparing the students for the MCAS exams. Faculty and parents are planning a gala to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Mason School. Save the date on April 25, 2006. There will be a silent auction, so please call Principal Janet Palmer Owens and let her know what you can donate. Thank you.
Budget and Finance: Contribution account balance is $11,480, Mason School account balance is $1,868 and Newmarket account balance is $2,006. Invoices for dues will be sent out this week. Please pay dues promptly.
Contributions: Donations were sent this month to Roxbury Comprehensive Health ($500); Mass Rehab ($250), Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative and the Tubman House Camp Hale program for inner city youth ($1,200). Please plan to donate goods or services that can be auctioned at the fundraiser. Thanks!
Public Affairs: the 7th annual Newmarket Business Association Charity Fundraiser will be held at the Museum of Science on Wednesday, April 5th at 6pm. Please plan to attend and invite guests. We are seeking sponsorships for this event and donations for the live and silent auctions. Please call Sue Sullivan to let her know what you can give. Thank you!
Safety: The MacDonald’s restaurant has received a temporary permit to operate a 24 hour drive through. The meetings of the safety committee enabled the owner of MacDonalds and the Police to work out a mutually acceptable plan and address concerns about illegal activites in the summer months.
Issues:
The signage program hearing before the Public Improvement Commission is taking place on Thursday in room 801 of City Hall at 10am.
The Massachusetts Legislature voted during the 2nd week of January to designate the former incinerator site as a location for the Greater Boston Food Bank to build its new, larger building. Unfortunately, the problem of hunger in New England is a growing concern and the Food Bank needs to enlarge its facility to try to meet the growing needs of regional food pantries and soup kitchens. The Food Bank will be announcing a major capital campaign to defray the costs of this enlarged facility.
The new Stop and Shop has opened at South Bay Center. The Toys R US at South Bay center is going to be closing.
New Business:
At our next meeting there will be a panel discussion on “Keeping Industry in the City”. The panel will include representatives from industry, real estate, bankers and City officials.
The official mailing address for the Newmarket Business Association has changed to 225 Southampton Street, Boston, MA 02118 c/o Slade Gorton Company.
Guest Speakers: Regina Durga (781-466-5449)and Nick Masci (781-466-5370)from Keyspan .
Keyspan is the largest distribution company for natural gas in the Northeast. Their territory does not include Hyde Park, which is served by NStar. Keyspan is a distributor and provides the gas to its customers at the same cost it pays. By law, Keyspan must buy enough gas for its customers, so it cannot use market timing to buy gas at lower prices. There is a 3-6 month lag between the spot market gas prices and those charged by Keyspan to its customers. Keyspan customers, however, can purchase gas at lower prices from 3rd party marketers. The representatives from Keyspan distributed materials explaining about some of Keyspan’s programs offering discounts for oil tank removal, discounts/rebates on new gas heating equipment, and free walk-through energy audits. They encourage Newmarket members to consider conversions to natural gas equipment. Keyspan’s on-line energy audit tool can be found at www.freeenergyanalysis.com\keyspanbusiness.
The meeting adjourned at 9:30 am.