As we come to another end of another year, I send my best wishes to you and your families during the Holiday Season and into the New Year!

My first term as your representative has been an enjoyable, enlightening, and, at times, a trying experience. I look forward to continuing to do my best for you as I enter my second.

This is a unique time in Quincy – I will be the first to admit that there is a lot going on – but I promise I am doing my best to ensure the smoothest transition possible for our city’s future.

Now, let’s get down to business…

T Riders, Mark Your Calendars for JANUARY 8, 2018

On January 8, 2018, Wollaston T Station will be closing for approximately 20 months for a full reconstruction of the station. This plan has been in place since before I joined the council in 2016, and is now coming to fruition. After numerous public meetings, and private meetings with officials up and down the state ladder, the MBTA has made efforts to make this process at least a bit better for us, the ridership. Please see the graphic below for more details on the changes posed by the January 8 Wollaston T Station closing.

MBTA Diversion Wollaston Poster

An entire report on the services during construction is here. You can also find more details and updates about the project here.

 

Residential Parking Program

I’m still working through the details of a Residential Parking Program. While we currently have an overnight parking ordinance that is loosely enforced, we need to have rules that govern parking at all times of the day. This would require dedicated parking enforcement from the city, monitoring parking on a regular basis. So, basically, we are starting from scratch. Expect to see an ordinance in front of the city council in the new year.

 

Speeding on Whitwell

I receive feedback about speeding everywhere. I know, I don’t understand why people drive like jerks, but that’s beside the point. QPD recently performed a speed study on Whitwell Ave. based on neighbor requests, and I wanted to share those results, which you can see here.

It seems the average speed is still below the limit. This was done on the downhill side of the Whitwell to get the maximum speeds. QPD will set up another device in the next week or so to update the data, and we’ll see what happens in both directions.

Generally, if you or someone you know speeds, please slow down!

 

Street Paving & Sidewalk Repair

Please continue to let me know problem areas. If pothole patching can suffice, please direct those requests here.

If you would like to request a sidewalk repair, please direct those requests here.

 

Ward 3 & Citywide Development Projects

Please follow this link to a comprehensive list of outstanding projects around the city. If you have any questions with any particular project, please let me know.

 

AM Quincy

A little plug for my favorite daily podcast hosted by QATV’s Joe Catalano. This hidden gem of a show features our city’s finest talking about and sharing their perspectives on issues I know you’d care about hearing. Joe is also always open to having guests from the community to talk about groups, civic/neighborhood associations, causes and events.

You can find a link to register for the podcast here.

 

DPW InfoLetter

Did you get your 2017 Fall/Winter DPW InfoLetter? If not, you can find a link to DPW information here. The site provides useful information on trash, yard waste, winter parking rules, and important numbers.

 

City of Quincy Report

The city put together a 2016-2017 report I found interesting and wanted to share. It contains statistics about the city and its services as well as important numbers.

You can see a copy of that report here.

 

Calendar

In the new year, I will keep my calendar as updated as possible with community events, neighborhood meetings, and other city business. Please follow this link, and be sure to check in from time to time.

If you have a community event that you would like to add to my calendar for others to see, follow this link, and please feel free to put it up!

 

Other News

 

Coffee Hours – UPDATE

Over the last two years, I have made myself available every other Friday from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m. at Panera in North Quincy. It has been great seeing and getting to know many of you from around the Ward.

I have heard from many folks, however, that they cannot always make it to my regularly scheduled time. Therefore, over the next two years, I am going to be changing the model to allow for more flexibility of your schedules.

Instead of having a regular coffee hour, I will be taking schedule requests to meet (outside of those I’ve already been taking). If you would like to meet in person for coffee, please contact me directly by phone or by e-mail (details below). I look forward to seeing you soon!

 

Blog & Newsletter

I will be keeping information on this blog, and sending out an e-newsletter periodically. If you would like to be included on the e-newsletter distribution, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. Please forward this e-mail to your friends and suggest for them to send me their e-mail addresses! I do my best to collect e-mails, and reach the broadest audience possible.

 

Contact Information

The best ways to reach me are by phone or by e-mail. I have a council phone number that will reach me directly. If I don’t answer the phone, please be sure to leave a voice message so I can get back to you. If e-mail is more convenient for you, by all means, send away!

telephone: 617-376-1353
e-mail: [email protected]

Stay tuned on the blog and via the e-newsletter for periodic updates, and please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions, comments, or if I can be of assistance.

You can also continue to follow my Facebook page.