Gove Street Citizens Association Meeting Agenda
The Gove Street Citizens Association will hold their next meeting on February 27 at 6:30 p.m. The following is the agenda:
• Community updates
East Boston updates from Nathalia Benitez-Perez
BPD updates from Sgt. Cintolo
• Neighborhood project updates
East Boston Neighborhood Health Center 151 Orleans PACE Center
175 Orleans Street
Register for this meeting: https://www.govestreet.org/meetings
The next meeting after this one will be on Monday, March 27, at 6:30 p.m.
Water Safety Awareness
At the February 8 of the Boston City Council, Council President Ed Flynn and Councilor Kendra Lara refiled a hearing order to discuss water safety awareness and increasing access to swimming lessons in the City of Boston.
This hearing order is a refile from last year, where Massachusetts saw a spike in the number of drownings, particularly in the month of May. Drowning is the leading cause of preventable, injury-related deaths in Massachusetts in children below the age of 15, and unfortunately, Black and lower income communities are more likely to be affected by drownings. A study from the University of Memphis found that 66% of Black children could not swim well enough to be safe in the deep end, and a report by USA Swimming found that 79% of children in families that earn less than $50,000 in annual income have little or no swimming ability.
“As a City surrounded by water, it is vital for our young people to have basic water safety awareness and to know how to swim.We must explore ways to partner with local and community organizations to provide swimming classes for our low-income residents and young people of color so that they can have the basic skills to be safe around water.” Council President Flynn said.
“Access, knowledge, and safety are all driving factors in pool usage. If we want to ensure all communities benefit from our city facilities, we must tackle the root causes behind the decline in usage. Increasing access to swim lessons and water safety awareness is one way to move the needle towards equity and truly democratize access to recreation.” District Six City Councilor Kendra Lara said.
Council President Flynn and Councilor Lara will hold this hearing in the coming weeks.
For more information, please contact Council President Flynn’s office at 617-635-3203 and [email protected].
MWRA To Temporarily Shut down Fluoride System
Starting in late February, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority will be replacing portions of the equipment that feeds fluoride into its drinking water. During this period, MWRA will not be adding fluoride to the water. This work is expected to take about three months to complete.
MWRA has worked closely with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on this issue. While fluoride is important for dental health, health officials believe that this short-term shutdown will not pose any risk to dental health and will not require any special action by consumers.
Fluoride has been added to the region’s water since the 1970s. The US Centers for Disease Control recommends its usage for reducing tooth decay and promoting community public health. MWRA also consulted with the Department of Public Health Oral Health Office and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, both of which approved this temporary fluoride shutdown.
MWRA treats drinking water from the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs at the John J. Carroll Treatment Plant in Marlborough. In addition to fluoride, water is treated with both ozone and ultraviolet light for disinfection, and the pH is adjusted to make the water less corrosive and less likely to leach lead from home plumbing.
If you have any concerns, check with your dental care provider. For more information on your drinking water, please visit www.mwra.com or call MWRA at 617-242-7283.
Walk for Hunger Returns
One of Massachusetts’ most iconic events is back! Project Bread’s The Walk for Hunger, the Commonwealth’s largest and oldest day of community action against hunger, is seeking walkers for a new 3-mile route. Back in-person for the first time since 2019, the one-day fundraising event is set for Sunday, May 7 at the Boston Common, featuring plenty of family-friendly activations along the 3-mile loop. The Walk for Hunger is a fundraiser that supports Project Bread’s work to raise awareness for food insecurity and increase food access for people of all ages in Massachusetts. In its 55th year, Project Bread invites you to help us raise more than $1 million to support food assistance resources and sustainable policy solutions to end hunger. Likeminded anti-hunger organizations can enroll in our co-fundraising program, The Commonwealth, forming teams to raise money to support their own work, while also furthering the statewide effort. To register for the event and create a personal or team fundraising page for the Walk for Hunger or to make a donation, visit projectbread.org/walk or call (617) 723-5000.