The Board of Directors of the Jamaica Pond Association (JPA) held its regular monthly meeting this past Monday, April 6. On hand for the session were chair Kay Mathews, treasurer Michael Reiskind, Kevin Moloney, Michael Frank, Peter Elmuts, Barry Schwartz, Tony Dreyfus, Annie McHugh, Franklyn Salimbene, Mark Freudenberger, Rosemary Jones, and Peter Steiger.

Also in attendance were Melissa Beltran from District 6 Councillor Ben Weber’s office; State Rep. Sam Montano; Legislative Aide Michael Giordano from State Rep. Bill MacGregor’s office; Michael Munchbach, the Chief of Staff from Senator Mike Rush’s office; and Boston Police Officer Patrica Darosa, who is a Community Service Officer for BPD District E-13.

Giulia Norton, who spoke to the association in March, returned to discuss the efforts of the Monument Square Meetinghouse Foundation (of which she is the president) that supports the maintenance of the First Church Unitarian Universalist building and its Burial Grounds.

Norton said she herself is a member of the First Church and has been a JP resident for 33 years. She said the non-profit was created two years ago with the dual mission of seeking grants to maintain the church and burial grounds and to enhance the secular use of the grounds for community space. 

Norton said the foundation wants to “paint the fence, fix the crypts, and spiff up the front yard, but we intentionally chose as our first project, something small, which is especially visible to the public along Eliot St., which is the restoration of about 50 gravestones and monuments that we believe will make the Burial Grounds a much more attractive and welcoming space.”

She said that three stones have been restored and are distinctly more clear than those that have not been cleaned and restored. Norton said the cost of the project is $23,000, of which $10,000 already has been received. She added that the group intentionally is seeking small donors in order to gain as much broad support as possible from the community.

She said that a house party in support of the effort will be hosted by Mark Freudenberger in his home on April 19. She also said that there will be a pop-up history celebration of the church’s 250th anniversary that will be hosted by the foundation that will be held in the church (6 Eliot St.) on Sunday, May 3, from 7-8:30 p.m.

Norton also noted that a short video is available on YouTube in support of the project that she hoped the JPA members would send to their friends and neighbors.

After Norton’s presentation, the members discussed the extent to which they would like to contribute to the project. Moloney made a motion for the JPA to make a $250 cash donation.  

After Frank made an amendment to Moloney’s motion to increase the donation to $500, Dreyfus suggested that the JPA should create a committee to establish a policy for charitable donations.

Steiger and Frank noted that the JPA previously had discussed the issues raised by Dreyfus a few years back, but they said that the upshot was that the JPA had decided at that time not to establish a committee and to make donations only on an ad hoc basis.

Anne McHugh spoke in favor of making the donation, suggesting that a donation from the JPA might spur other donations from the community. 

The members voted to make a donation of $500 by a vote of 8-4 and unanimously agreed to endorse the video that had been mentioned by Norton.

Mathews then brought up the topic of the upcoming annual meeting of the JPA, which typically is held in lieu of the board’s June monthly meeting (which presently is scheduled for June 1).

After the members discussed logistics such as locating a venue, finding new candidates for the board, and obtaining a guest speaker, they established a committee that will take charge of those issues.

The chairs of the JPA’s committees then made their reports. Moloney from the Zoning Committee reported about the issue of the signage of the Warrandale Appliance store at 781 Centre St. The JPA sent a letter last month to the Boston Zoning Board of Appeals about the issue. Moloney said that the ISD came out to inspect the sign, with Reiskind reporting that the sign presently has been turned off.

The members voted to send another letter to the ZBA if the sign has not been turned off. Moloney said he will check on the sign.

Dreyfus presented the report of the Parks and Open Space Committee, updating the committee about the progress on repairing the boathouse and bandstand at Jamaica Pond. He said the city has set a meeting for April 15 from 6-7:30 p.m. via Zoom in order to obtain community input. 

He said the Friends of Jamaica Pond has established a Community Committee that will participate in a number of upcoming events:

— On April 11, there will be a cleanup  of Jamaica Pond in coordination with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy;

—  The Conservation Committee will meet on April 13 at 36 Perkins St. to discuss trees and water quality;

— On Saturday April 18, there will be a “mega” run around the pond at 9 a.m., an event that is expected to draw many more participants than the usual 5K weekly runs (which start at Pinebank Promontory) because it is the Saturday before the Boston Marathon;

— On Wednesday, April 22, a cultural event featuring a storyteller with music will be held at the First Church from 7:30-9:30;

— On Sunday, April 26, there will be an educational and fun event for children and adults at the bandstand; and

— The annual Wake Up the Earth Festival will be held on May 2.

Freudenberger spoke about the advocacy priorities of the ongoing campaign for Jamaica Pond and Olmsted Park. He said there are six specific elements that the group hopes to take up in the coming year: resolving the bicycle-pedestrian conflict around the pond; seasonal maintenance of the pond and park, including the removal of invasive species; a boathouse and bandstand engineering study; a Daley Field engineering study; installing improved trash cans for around the pond; and an overall assessment of environmental conditions at the pond.

Reiskind reported that the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) is holding its biennial elections on Saturday, May 16, and that election packets for candidates are available on-line on the JPNC website, as well as at the three libraries in JP and at Curtis Hall.

Reiskind also reported on the latest from the JP Business and Professional Assoc. He said a new Japanese restaurant is coming to 610 Centre St. in the former space of Pondside Pet Care. He also noted that another new restaurant, Cafe Selah, will be occupying the space of the former When Pigs Fly bakery at 613 Centre St.

Rep. Montano told the association that the legislature is facing huge reductions in federal funding that will affect healthcare and the safety net. 

Giordano spoke briefly about two recent bills, one of which allows the governor to create safe spaces, such as courthouses, from ICE officers and another that will prevent the state from allowing the federal government to use state property for detention centers.

Munchbach said the Senate will be taking up the issue of allocating the Fair Share money that can be spent only on education and transportation. He also noted that legislation is pending that will support the agricultural industry in the state and that the Senate has passed a ban on so-called “puppy mills.”