Following two meetings with community partners that were open to the public, the design for the upcoming Hyde Square parklet has been chosen. Landscape architect Kyle Zick, the designer of JP’s parklet, was directed by community partners to combine two design sketches that included non-movable stools and a counter with raised planters with built-in...
Blog Archives
Trash cans lacking in Centre/South
Despite its reputation of being one of Boston’s greenest neighborhoods, central Jamaica Plain is lagging in a crucial aspect: public trash collection and recycling. The Gazette surveyed trash cans in the Centre/South corridor last month. Of the 51 public trash cans in the two-mile stretch, only six were solar-powered, compacting, lidded “BigBelly” cans. They...
MassDOT responds to Casey bias claims
The state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) maintains that it was “absolutely” not biased in favor of replacing the deteriorating Casey Overpass with an at-grade street network, despite suggestions in recently released internal documents. The documents from the early planning stages of the Casey Arborway project, before any public meetings, suggest that MassDOT focused on...
ESAC repairs seniors’ homes
Egleston Square-based nonprofit Ecumenical Social Action Committee/Ensuring Stability through Action in our Community (ESAC) is helping seniors stay at home longer by donating minor home repairs and improvements. Recently able to offer the service to those as young as 62 partly due to a grant from the national senior-rights organization AARP, ESAC aims “to...
350.org Boston branch opens in JP
A Boston branch of the state branch of the environmental activist organization 350.org is making a home in Jamaica Plain. Following an introductory meeting on March 28 at the Nate Smith House at 155 Lamartine St., the Cambridge-based 350 Massachusetts has decided to expand to a second branch in Jamaica Plain. “It would be...
JP man learns friend survived near-miss
Like many concerned Jamaica Plain residents, Henry Beguiristain wondered about the safety of his friends running and watching the marathon yesterday. But in his case, the danger was closer than most: his friend, Tim Hare, was mere feet away from the second explosion. Hare, who was uninjured, told the Gazette his eyewitness account. Beguiristain...
JP Kids: Teens fight for summer job funding
The citywide Youth Jobs Coalition, composed of adult and youth leaders including local organizations Hyde Square Task Force and Teen Empowerment, are once again fighting to fund teen summer jobs. The current proposed state budget cuts funding to support youth jobs with the City from last year’s $9 million to $2 million. That is...
JP Kids: How BPS responded to students’ bomb trauma
By Rebeca Oliveira and Peter Shanley, Gazette Staff Whether they were near or far from the scene, Boston’s children felt the trauma of the Boston Marathon bombing, which counted an 8-year-old Dorchester boy among the dead. The bombing happened during the Boston Public Schools (BPS) vacation week, leaving some students wondering about their classmates’...
JP Kids: Gamers gather at JP store
Lovers of board and card games gather regularly to foil adversaries and crush their enemies, while comic readers of all ages can stock their shelves and gather for forum discussions, at JP Comics & Games. JP Comics & Games, located at 603 Centre St., devotes about half the shelf space in its cozy single...
JP Kids: For kids under 10
JP Comics & Games co-owner Paul Bryant gave the Gazette his recommendations for titles appropriate for comic readers aged 6 to 9. “These are good for kids in general. They feature girls and boys,” he said. “They’re all a lot of fun. Kids’ titles tend to have full adventures per issue” instead of spreading...