Ice dam solutions Fill women’s pantyhose with calcium chloride (ice melt) and place them on your roof so they overhang the gutters. Or do the same with men’s discarded socks. You will need either a low roof and a good throwing arm or a tall ladder that you gradually move around the house. You...
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Opinion
Editorial: Supporting local businesses
The natural disaster that was—and still is—Boston’s recent waves of blizzards has hit small businesses hard. JP’s local businesses are not only a source of pride, but a linchpin of the local economy. They keep dollars in the neighborhood, from paychecks to contributions to another key JP resource, the nonprofit sector. Mayor Walsh’s “Boston...
Editorial: A good School Committee choice
We applaud Mayor Walsh for appointing Miren Uriarte to the Boston School Committee. It is good to see that both JP and the Latino community that is a key constituency of our neighborhood will continue to be represented on the committee following the recent departure of Claudio Martinez. Uriarte shares and perhaps exceeds Martinze’s...
Letter: Meeting needed on mail delivery problems
The following letter was sent to U.S. Rep. Steven Lynch: Mail delivery in my neighborhood of Jamaica Plain has been erratic and unpredictable. ( Repeated calls to the Mark Stokes Supervisor of Customer Service at the 02130 post office have been fruitless. Complaints to the Boston postmaster have been fruitless, too. In 12 delivery...
Letter: Mayor should halt historic house demolition
Thank you for your piece on Bicon’s plans to demolish 21 Yale Terrace. (“Dental firm aims to demolish historic house,” Jan. 16.) Yale Terrace is a historic, architecturally interesting and cohesive neighborhood, nestled between the Forest Hills Cemetery and Franklin Park. There are nine houses on this street, and it is a very cohesive,...
Editorial: The State of JP
The annual State of Our Neighborhood forum, co-sponsored by the Gazette, convenes Feb. 26. We look forward to seeing the promised concrete policy proposals that will be devised there regarding JP’s increasing housing costs and decreasing diversity. This is a crucial time for such ideas. Housing advocates have a great potential partner in Mayor...
Editorial: Olympics vs. democracy
A hearty thank you to City Councilor Josh Zakim for bolding proposing ballot questions regarding the Boston Olympics bid. Yes, the questions would be nonbinding, and ballots would be cast after the bid submission deadline. But Zakim’s real message is that the Olympics and the bigwigs backing it must pay attention to the thoughts...
Op-Ed: The State of JP: Racial equity through housing justice
By Carlos Espinoza-Toro, Juan Gonzalez, Orion Kriegman, Abigail Ortiz, Giovanny Valencia, and Tracy Bindel/Special to the Gazette. For the fifth consecutive year an estimated 250 residents will gather to engage in a productive dialogue, with each other and with our elected officials, about top community concerns. This year, the 2015 State of Our Neighborhood...
Letter: Casey protesters were angry for good reasons
Clay Harper’s letter to the editor complaining about the MassDOT Casey Overpass meeting January 21 is one take on the meeting. (“Casey protesters were rude and juvenile,” Jan. 30.) But his complaint about loud participants is misplaced. If MassDOT had done an honest, comprehensive, responsive, and sincere planning and design process, there would not...
JP Observer: Tree removal needs regulation
In what is just the latest in several tree massacres in Jamaica Plain in the past decade, the MBTA cleared the proposed Southwest Corridor Park Greenway Extension near Washington Street of most of its trees last month without informing or getting input from neighbors or groups. Wholesale chopping down of trees on private and...