By Stephen Quigley
The year 2022 is now in the record books, highlighting a return to normalcy for many residents. Whether one just celebrated First Night in Boston on Saturday night or the Eastie Pride Event that happened in August, events and gatherings are becoming more frequent, albeit with some COVID precautions.
Our own Eastie Pride attracted thousands of residents to Piers Park to celebrate the 33rd year for local businesses, elected officials, and residents to showcase the best of East Boston. The neighborhood event celebrated the food, music, and diversity that is East Boston.
their residence and dedication to their community of East Boston. Pictured above, volunteers hand out tons of popcorn to all, Jessica Zhou, Mirabelle Berman Reinhart, Emily Castro, Nataly Deblas and Salma Acuna.
Last year also noted the passing of many longtime members of our community, including John White, who died at the age of 87 on June 7. White was a leader who selflessly gave back to the community where he grew up, serving as the East Boston Area Planning Action Committee’s director for more than 50 years. Many residents will remember White, whose accomplishments were measured by his deeds and work on behalf of those marginalized and most in need in the community.
In retirement news, John Drew, the President and CEO of Action for Boston Community Development, announced his retirement effective in June after serving our community for more than five decades. Drew, who is 85 years old, worked tirelessly for decades to help low-income residents and fixed-income seniors heat their homes without worrying about whether they had to choose between heat or food or medication.
The expansion of affordable housing in East Boston took a major step forward when Mayor Michelle Wu announced the acquisition of 36 multi-family buildings, comprising a total of 114 units. The $47M acquisition was made possible through a series of grants and the project will be overseen by the newly-created East Boston Neighborhood Trust.
Environment was also a major concern for East Boston residents. Mayor Wu declared several heat emergencies during the several summer months when temperatures soared above 90 degrees. Cooling stations were set up throughout the community. East Boston is particularly vulnerable to climate changes because of our waterfront location, as well as having a small shade-tree canopy.
In September, The Neighborhood of Affordable Housing held a Resilience Summit that touched on topics including Cybersecurity, Extreme Heat, Tree Canopy, Air Quality and Health, Housing, Pandemic Planning, Food Insecurity, Flood Prevention, Critical Infrastructure, Youth Roles, and Immigration. The summit focused on improving people’s lives and safety in East Boston.
Talking about gridlock, the long-awaited repairs to the Sumner Tunnel on weekends caused traffic nightmares on the streets of East Boston as repairs began on the tunnel. Residents complained, citing that what usually was a five-minute ride into the city was taking up to an hour. Work is expected to last for another several months.
Mayor Wu stopped by Border Street in October and donned a power-washing suit to help personally remove graffiti from a warehouse. Wu noted that with a current shortage of workers in the Department of Public Works, removing graffiti is a drain on already-overstretched resources. More than 400 cases of graffiti were removed from East Boston alone.
The Year 2022 was also a time to mark anniversaries of some of the key institutions in the neighborhood. Among those noting anniversaries was Meridian House, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in June. The mission of the Meridian House is to provide a half-way house for those struggling with substance abuse.
Gabriela “Gigi” Coletta was elected the new District 1 Councilor, defeating Tania Del Rio in a special election on May 3. An East Boston native, Coletta served as Chief of Staff to Lydia Edwards, who was elected to the Massachusetts State Senate and whose unexpired term Coletta is filling.
However, some of the stories that topped the list, such as affordable housing, will continue into the new year, as well as a lawsuit that was filed in late December by the Conservation Law Foundation and Greenroots, who are appealing the state’s decision to allow a proposed electrical substation in East Boston to bypass important permitting processes. The substation was put on the fast tract by the Massachusetts Energy Facilities in a vote on November 29.