Special to the Gazette

The Board of Directors of the Jamaica Pond Association (JPA) held its regular monthly meeting this past Monday, November 4, via Zoom. Chair Kay Mathew presided over the session that included fellow members Michael Reiskind, Rosemary Jones, Franklyn Salimbene, Jasmine Crafts, Tony Dreyfus, Kevin Moloney, Michael Frank, and Peter Elmuts.

Also on hand for the meeting was Josh Ageloff from State Senator Mike Rush’s office; Caroline Peters, the liaison to Jamaica Plain from Mayor Wu’s office; and Bonnie Delaune, the Chief of Staff for District 6 City Councilor Ben Weber.

Peters noted that the Boston Park Rangers will be conducting its Nighttime Critters program on November 8 from 2:30-4:30, a Horse-of-Course program about their horses on November 18 from 2-4, and a Walking Tour of the Pond on November 22 from 2-3.

DeLaune noted that there will be a coffee hour with Councilor Weber at Santia’s Bakery at 3381 Washington St. at 9:00 AM this Friday.

Reiskind, the JPA’s treasurer, reported that the board has a balance in its bank account of $4576.82.

The meeting began with a presentation by Dennis O’Brien from the First Church on Centre St. regarding the fenced-in dog run that was installed in the historic churchyard cemetery in August, 2023.

O’Brien said that the dog run “has played out the way we were hoping it would, namely, that it would be uneventful.” He said there have been a couple of incidents where the gate has been left open, but those have been addressed. He also reported that an attempted reseeding in an area was not successful.

He said the 40 or so members of the dog-owners group who are in charge of the dog run are known as the Churchyard Hounds, whose members pay an annual $25 fee to the church that goes toward the upkeep of the burial ground.

O’Brien also noted that the group has chipped in financially for other projects such as tree maintenance. He said he has applied to the Mass. Historical Commission (MHC) for a renewal of the permit to operate the dog run. The cemetery is listed as a state historical site, thereby bringing it within the purview of the MHC.

O’Brien also briefly discussed the work that the church has been doing on its clock tower and roof, noting that the work on the roof has been completed and that the work on the clock tower, for which the church will be applying for another grant from the city’s Community Preservation Act funds, probably will not take place until the fall of 2025.

Dreyfus’s presentation of the report of the Parks, Parkways, and Open Spaces Committee opened with Sarah Freeman speaking of the need to keep the pressure on city department officials to ensure that the stone walls at Prince St. and Kelley Circle are repaired, rather than being allowed to deteriorate further.

Dreyfus then spoke of two other issues. The first pertained to Jamaica Pond and the need to encourage Liza Meyer, the new commissioner of the Boston Parks Dept., to consider paying more attention to the specific issues at the pond, including the bandstand, the boathouse, drainage, pathways, green space, and water quality.

“The problem we’re looking at now is to try to figure out a strategy to get Boston Parks to want to take action at the pond,” Dreyfus said. He said possible avenues include enlisting other Jamaica Plain groups, city councillors, Mayor Wu and her advisors, members of the state legislature, and the Charles River Watershed Association to bring pressure to bear on city officials to address the issues at the pond.

Dan Moon, who noted that a running group of between 100-220 persons runs every Saturday morning  around the pond is a natural constituency for such efforts, emphasized that the work that is required to be done at the pond needs to be placed in the city’s capital budget so that the work can start in the coming year.

Salimbene suggested that it is important to gain the support of the four at-large members of the City Council. DeLaune noted that Councilor Weber has been looking into gaining more support in the city’s capital budget both for the Jamaica Pond area and for repairs to the damaged stone walls along Prince St. and at Kelley Circle.

Another issue raised by Dreyfus was the work being done by the Charles River Watershed and Emerald Necklace Conservancy regarding the Muddy River. Dreyfus suggested that the JPA should become involved with the ongoing clean-up efforts of the Muddy River, which flows from Jamaica Pond through Wards Pond, Willow Pond, and Leverett Pond, eventually connecting with the Charles River at the Charlesgate area,

He suggested that a representative from the Charles River Watershed should come to a meeting of the JPA to make a presentation about the Muddy River’s watershed, which encompasses Wards, Willow, and Leverett ponds. The members indicated their assent to that idea and Dreyfus said he will make the arrangements.

Dreyfus also spoke about the work being done by the city’s Water and Sewer Dept. at Daisy Field, which has two softball diamonds, which has been leaching sediment into nearby Leverett Pond for many years during heavy rains.

Frank also noted that there also is work being done at the opposite end of the field at the parking lot, which is close to Willow Pond, that appears to involve the installation of a French drain.

Reiskind presented reports about the most recent meeting of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) and the Jamaica Plain Business and Professional Association (JPBPA). He said that the JPNC did not discuss anything of particular relevance to the Jamaica Pond area at its last meeting, although he noted that it was mentioned that the state budget did not include funding for further design work on the proposed Arborway Garage project.

Reiskind noted that the state law that will allow additional liquor licenses in the city was signed by Gov. Healy in September. He said the law will provide for 15 new liquor licenses in the Jamaica Plain zip code of 02130, with five licenses to be awarded each year for the next three years. As for the most recent meeting of the JPBPA on October 16, he said the group met with the new owner of the Galway House, who promised there will be no changes to the establishment’s operation. He noted that the Halloween trick-or-treat events were enjoyed by dogs (at the annual costume parade the week before), children, and adults. The next meeting of the association is set for Monday, December  2.