Fenway Civic Association

Dear Members and Friends:

Thanks to hard work by our representatives, an amendment prohibiting the Department of Conservation and Recreation from installing parking meters along public ways without the prior approval of a municipality was adopted in the House budget and passed early morning, April 29th, 2021. The next step will be ensuring this language is included throughout the remainder of the legislative process.

The amendment is attached and a letter to petition signatories from representatives below. Thanks to all members who attended meetings, wrote to DCR and signed petitions. If you would like to thank our state representatives for their work, please contact:
Representative Jon Santiago: jon.santiago@mahouse.gov

Representative Jay Livingstone:  jay.livingstone@mahouse.gov

Representative Chynah Tyler: chynah.tyler@mahouse.gov

Senator Will Brownsberger:  william.brownsberger@masenate.gov

Dear Members and Friends,

Please see the following announcements and events:

1. Vaccine registration updates:Registration is now open for COVID-19 vaccinations for people ages 16+ who live, work, or study in Massachusetts. For more information, visit: https://www.mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine

2. Boston Mayoral Forum, Tuesday, April 20th 6:30 p.m.:

The Ward 4 and Ward 5 Democratic Committees have organized a Mayoral Forum Tuesday evening, moderated by Callie Crossley.

This zoom forum is open to the public; to attend, register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boston-mayoral-candidate-forum-moderated-by-callie-crossley-tickets-146638705315

3. Boston University Fenway Campus Task Force meeting, Wednesday, April 21st, 6:00 p.m.

A public meeting will be held to discuss the proposed Fenway Campus Institutional Master Plan for Boston University (formerly Wheelock College). This meeting will be hosted online, using Zoom. You must register using this link, then you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the meeting. Register in advance for this webinar:
www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_FoqkADvHQJG3M9LC0AW6Sw

Toll-free call-in number: 833.568.8864
Meeting ID: 161 734 9858

City Streets: For information, see https://www.boston.gov/departments/public-works/street-sweeping-city or enter your street name here: https://www.cityofboston.gov/publicworks/sweeping/

DCR Parkways: For information, see https://www.mass.gov/guides/dcr-street-sweeping

Need food? Know someone who does?Fenway Cares volunteers will be at Fenway Community Center at the corner of Jersey and Boylston Street and Symphony Community Park, as well as delivering food to those who sign up at bit.ly/FenwayCaresFood

For more information, visit https://fenwaycommunitycenter.org/fenwaycares/

SPECIAL THANKS TO FUNDERS AND SUPPORTERS, INCLUDING EL JEFE’S TAQUERIA FOR SPONSORING THE 4/14 FOOD SHARE!

Dear Members and Friends,
Please see the following petition advanced by Representative Jon Santiago together with Senator William Brownsberger, Rep. Jay Livingstone, Rep. Chynah Tyler, and Councilor Kenzie Bok, in partnership with FCA to oppose the installation of metered parking along our historic parkways. We hope you will take a minute to sign this form for our representatives to present to the DCR. Thank you!

Save Our Parking Spaces
The Department of Conservation and Recreation released a plan to replace “Resident Permit Parking’ spaces with DCR metered parking. According to DCR’s presentation, there are currently 232 parking spaces in the Fenway designated to be converted to metered parking. See plan here. 

Our neighborhood will be severely impacted as a result. Many of our elderly and disabled residents who rely on easy access to their cars will be disproportionately harmed. Additionally, the recent cut of the #55 bus has further isolated the Fenway neighborhood, forcing many more residents to rely on their cars in order to perform daily tasks.
The Fenway is one of the densest neighborhoods in the City and is one of the fastest growing. With parking already difficult to find or expensive to obtain, we must preserve the existing infrastructure that currently serves our residents. As the Fenway continues to grow and prosper, we must make sure that our elderly and disabled residents are not left behind.
Your elected officials, State Senator Will Brosnwberger, State Representatives Jon Santiago, Jay Livingstone, Chynah Tyler, and City Councilor Kenzie Bok are partnering with the Fenway Civic Association and other neighborhood leaders to mobilize public opposition to this plan. We ask that you join us to protect the resident parking spaces in the Fenway and prevent DCR from installing meters. 

Please sign this petition promptly and share it with your neighbors.
CLICK THIS LINK TO ACCESS AND SIGN THIS PETITION

You can submit comments to the DCR directly at this email address: Jennifer.Norwood@mass.gov
You can also submit feedback to DCR by filling out this form: https://www.mass.gov/forms/dcr-public-comments

Since the roll-out of the vaccine back in late January I have been tirelessly advocating for a pre-registration system to be created in order to ease the process for folks to get an appointment. It would allow people to enter their information one time and once an appointment was made available they would be notified. Finally, as of today, Friday March 12th, there is a pre-registration system up and running. 

Currently the system will allow eligible residents to book an appointment at one of the state’s 7 mass vaccination sites. The Administration did say they will add more sites in the coming weeks. This means, unfortunately, that this system is not the only place you should look for appointments. 

I recommend you continue to use the other booking websites and to look at other sites including pharmacies, hospitals and community health centers. Many hospitals and health centers are not listed on websites, but are distributing vaccines to eligible members of the general public. You may want to call for an appointment. MGH, BMC are distributing vaccines. We are working on having CHA secure more vaccines so it can do the same.  

Here are the steps on how to pre-register with the new system: 

• Eligible residents will complete the online form at mass.gov/COVIDVaccine to request to book an appointment at a mass vaccination site nearby.
• After completing the form, residents will get a confirmation via their preferred method of contact (text, e-mail, phone) and receive a weekly update about their status. Residents may opt out of their pre-registration at any time if they secure an appointment elsewhere. 
• When an appointment becomes available at a mass vaccination site, the resident will be notified and will have 24 hours to accept the appointment once it is offered to them. If an appointment is not accepted after 24 hours, the resident will go back into the queue to wait for another appointment.
• To accommodate older residents and others who are unable to use the form, the pre-registration form allows family members, caregivers or other companions to fill out the form on behalf of someone else. Residents who do not have internet access or someone to fill the form out for them can call 2-1-1 to preregister.

Vaccine Quick Links:

Pre-registration form: https://www.mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine

Gov. Baker’s press release: https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-announces-preregistration-system-for-mass-vaccination-locations-to

Where to book appointments at other sites: https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/

Also check through CVS’ website: https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine

Dates for K-12 staff and childcare workers ONLY at mass vax sites: March 27, April 3, April 10, April 11.

Thank you to Mayor Walsh and the Boston Resiliency Fund for funding our application for food supports in the Fenway!

With the partnership of the Fenway Cares collaborative, this award will help provide free bi-weekly food boxes and supplies for residents in the East and West Fenway.We are delighted to work with the Fenway Community Center as a partner in this award, and will continue efforts to secure supports for this important program.Interested in supporting Fenway Cares? Need food or know someone who does? Visit: bit.ly/FenwayCaresFood to sign up.

Dear Members:

Thanks to those of you who attended MBTA hearings or sent comments about the suspension of the #55 bus.

Here are three last opportunities to save the bus line – we encourage you to participate. Other communities have saved their bus services through public participation, so please take the time to advocate!

1. Tuesday, February 23rd 6 p.m.: State Environmental Notification Form (ENF) Consultation Session. To learn more and register to attend:
https://www.mbta.com/events/2021-02-23/forging-ahead-service-level-reduction-environmental-notification-form-enf

2. Wednesday, February 24th 6 p.m.: Virtual public meeting on MBTA service changes (including the #55 bus suspension). To learn more and register to attend:
http://www.mbta.com/events/2021-02-24/spring-2021-service-changes-virtual-public-meeting 

3. Tuesday, March 2nd: Deadline for commenting on the ENF:
Written comments  can be sent  to Erin.Flaherty@mass.gov or sent to the general MEPA email address, MEPA@mass.gov. Reference the EEA project number (#16324) in the subject line. 

Wednesday February 17th 6:00 p.m.: MBTA meeting

Please note the Symphony Station meeting planned for the same date has been canceled.

Please join this important meeting. The MBTA will be presenting planned schedule changes for March and April. As many know, the #55 bus is planned for removal. Please take this opportunity to advocate for your community’s transportation. For information and the meeting link, visit: https://www.mbta.com/events/2021-02-17/spring-2021-service-changes-virtual-public-meeting