Dorchester Heights Association - South Boston, Massachusetts

Meeting Minutes

October 14^th, 1999

Time: 7:00 PM - 8:10 PM Number of attendees: 43

South Boston High School - No High School representative was present for the second month in a row. There is a great deal of concern over the recent false fire alarm problem at the school. It has been reported there were 7 false alarms and 1 bomb threat in a recent 17-day period. In the past it was discovered that the false alarms are linked to gang initiations. In other school-related matters, the DHA has received a letter from Mr. John Shea stating he will not be attending the DHA meetings because of other conflicts in his schedule. No mention was made whether or not the school would be sending another representative. We will ask the school to have someone else made available to attend our meetings. Ed Wallace is going to set up a meeting with school officials and our elected officials so we can voice our concerns of these recent events. More High School news at our November 11^th meeting.

National Park Service – Mark Vagos reported on the dog leash situation, which has been monitored very closely over the last 60 days. It is unfortunate that a small group of dog owners have ruined it for the majority of the responsible dog owners. Mark reported on many occasions dog owners were letting their dogs run loose and in most cases were not even paying attention or picking up after their dogs. Mark and the National Park Service have tried very hard to accommodate the dog owners but stress the park is not a dog park. Mark said the Dorchester Heights Park is for the enjoyment of all people and not just dog owners. As a result the National Park Service has made the decision to begin enforcing the Leash Law. All dogs in the park must be kept on a leash at all times or the owners risk being fined by the National Park Service. It should also be noted there is a citywide leash law that states all dogs must be leashed and owners must pick up all messes.

In other park matters, Mark told us the granite curbing is in and the contract has been awarded to install the new railings. The trees, which have died, will be replaced; however, there is a problem with one area because the ground has a lot of clay in the dirt. They are looking at various options for this area of the park.

Boston Police Department - Officer Billy Hassan spoke to the members about the various problems they encountered over the last month. There has been an increase in car breaks and vandalism i.e. slashing tires. The police have assigned a two man unmarked patrol to our area. Billy very strongly stressed the importance of calling 911 each and every time you see something wrong being done in your area. The only way we are going to get more police presence is to make the city aware of the problems and that can be best done by calling 911.

Neighborhood Crime Watch – We have formed a committee to look into this very important program. Peter Alto has volunteered to be the chairman of the committee. We will have further discussion and a call for volunteers at the November meeting.

DHA Website launched - The Dorchester Heights Association website has been officially launched. You can see the website at www.dorchesterheights.org. The monthly newsletters will be posted as well as other important community information. More sections of the site have been completed. We are still looking for businesses to sponsor the monthly newsletters so if you know of a business that would be interested contact Bill Kenneway at 617-436-2445. If you have any questions about website designs for yourself or your business call Chris Boyd of Internet Creations at 781-380-4868.

Mayor’s Office – We have a new representative from the Mayor’s office who will be attending our meetings. His name is Anthony Gilardi and he can be reached at 617-635-2680.

BUS STOP MOVES – We have voted to send a letter to our elected officials and the MBTA to get the Bus Stop moved back to its original location. Once back where it was and if it still needs to be moved the MBTA can go through the legal process that should have occurred before it was moved the last time. Public meetings and safety surveys need to be done prior to moving a bus stop.