NEWNC Minutes for November 2011 Monthly Meeting

Monday, November 14th, 2011  7:00 PM
Nazzaro Center, 30 N. Bennet St.  

1.    Welcome – Donna Freni, President. Meeting was called to order at 7:07 p.m.

2.    Call to order & Roll Call – Donna Freni, President. Present: Philip Frattaroli, Donna Freni, Bill Lane, David Marx, Jorge Mendoza, Stephen Passacantilli, Jonathan Sproul, Marie Simboli, Anne Devlin Tagliaferro, Giancarlo Tiberi. Absent: Ryan Kenny.

3.    Meeting Protocol – Marie Simboli, Vice President

4.    Report from the Office of Neighborhood Services – Nicole Leo. The trolley tour will will be 12/4 at 2:15 on the Prado.

5.    Report from the offices of local elected officials. Councilor LaMattina will attend the Clean Streets meeting on 11/15, 7pm, and he says he may have found a possible solution to how to keep our streets clean and now to put out trash.
            Also, there is a new committee in the neighborhood, a Beautification Committee to decorate the neighborhood for the holidays and maybe for future seasons. Phil Orlandella circulated a flyer with information.

6.    Committee reports:

            a. Resident Parking/Traffic Committee – Ryan Kenny. A walking tour to evaluate neighborhood parking spaces will be conducted by the end of the year. Details on what the tour will include will be addressed at future meetings. There are reportedly 1,200 buildings, 1,500 parking spaces and 5,000 parking stickers outstanding.

            b. Public Safety Committee –
Last 30 days Crime Stats (compared to 2010):
-Robberies increased by 2
-Aggravated Assaults decreased by 3
-Breaking & Entering decreased by 4
-Auto Theft decreased by 2
-Larceny from Motor Vehicle decreased by 7
-Towed Motor Vehicles increased by 3

Larcenies from MV included a laptop, children's car seat, and a GPS device
            *District-wide: crime decreased by 16% (goal was 10%)
            *13.5% drop in crime in The North End YTD 2011 vs. 2010
The Loud Party Line is (617) 343-5500
Sgt. Lema can be reached directly at (617) 343-4627
            There were 19 calls for noise complaints in the last 32 days (through ~ 10/31/11). 153 and 157 Endicott St. has been the subject of  noise issues/complaints. An additional “loud party” patrol car is being deployed between 11:45pm & 3:45am through Thanksgiving. The extra patrol may be continued depending on success, etc. Four extra cars have been deployed district-wide (mostly in The North End & Charlestown).

            David Marx. Jon Sproul asked to what the decreasing crime rate is attributable. David said, residents are calling in incidents more often, and there might be more landlord enforcement. Jorge Mendoza believes there is a greater vehicle and bicycle presence by police. The car positioned at Hanover and Richmond could also be making a positive impact, particularly on Hanover. Stephen Passacantilli said that when callers call in a report the following day, the first question is always, “Did you call 911?” Residents are urged to continue to call 911 to report complaints.

c. Bylaws Committee – Ryan Kenny. Draft of amended bylaws will be issued by the next meeting.

d. Greenway Committee – Donna Freni.

On Saturday, November 19, at 1:00pm, there will be an Opening Day Ceremony of the Mary Soo Hoo Park in Chinatown at the corner of Hudson and Beach Streets.  All are welcome to attend.

2.   The Farmers Market at Dewey Square will be extended through December 22. Vendors continuing through December include:

            Kimball Fruit Farm (produce)
            Q’s Nuts (roasted nuts)
            The Edible Yard (cranberries and cranberry products)
            The Best Damn Granola Co. (granola and handmade soap)
            Hidden Acres Farm (produce)
            Baking  With Joy (tea breads, cakes and cookies)
            SwissBakers (traditional Swiss baked goods)

Hours:  Tuesday & Thursday through December 22, 11:30am-6:30pm.  After Thanksgiving, hours will be reduced to 11:30am–2:30pm.

3.   The Greenway Conservancy is still collecting responses for the Program Survey.  Please go online and let the Greenway know what events you’d like to see in the future.

4.  The Conservancy is seeking vendors to begin operations in spring, 2012, and has issued a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for high-quality food/beverage vendors on the Greenway. The RFP and Forms can be downloaded from the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy’s website at   www.rosekennedygreenway.org/business.  Deadline for submission is Wednesday, December 7 at 2:00pm.

Ann Pistorio suggested the granite on the raised beds along Surface St. is being defaced by skateboarders, and the stone needs staples installed to prevent the skating.

 7.  2A Prince Street, formerly G’Vanni’s Restaurant: application filed with the Licensing Board to transfer the existing Malt and Wine with Cordials license to Franco, LLC, d/b/a/ Pellino’s Ristorante, Frank Pellino, Manager, to operate a new restaurant at the same location.  The purchase/transfer of the business is a bankruptcy proceeding. 

Attorney Dennis Quilty represents Mr. Pellino. The restaurant and the condo where the restaurant rests has also been purchased. The applicant has met with NEWRA twice, and will meet with the licensing board this week. Mr. Pellino currently operates Pellino’s in Marblehead, and he has worked with several North End restaurants over the past several years. There will be 36 seats in the restaurant.
            There will be no other changes to the license or space other than to put his “signature” on the location. There will be no bar. The plan is to do lunch and dinner service, from 11am to 11:30pm. There is a 1am license, but will probably close earlier.
            There will be a new floor, new celing and new walls. No change in the basement. Some kitchen fixtures will be replaced. The tin ceiling will be retained. Above the restaurant, Mr. Pellino owns unit #2, and other owners own the two units above.
            The name will change to Pellino’s. Anne Devlin Tagliaferro asked about signage. The new signs will be the same awning type that G’vanni’s had. No neon, nothing like 5 North Square.
            Jon Sproul asked about the Marblehead operation and any violations there. Mr. Pellino said the menu will be generally the same, and there have been no violations in Marblehead. Community involvement in Marblehead includes chamber of commerce, and contributions to community causes, including gift certificates.
            Bill Lane discussed the sidewalk obstruction. There will be no sandwich board. As for managing the crowd, he will have a minimal reservation policy to minimize the obstruction. Mr. Qulty said the licensees are required to manage the crowd to not obstruct.
            Marie Simboli asked about the frontage and the windows. There will be more windows on the frontage, including a glass door.
            Ann Pistorio asked about the windows. The windows will be longer vertically than they are now, but will fold inward. The windows will be 4’x8’. Windows will close at 11pm..

            Ann moves to support, Stephen seconds. Supporting, 9-0.  

8.  Open Discussion/Comments

National Park Service and Boston Transportation Department announce “connect.historic boston” initiative. See more information at http://www.northendwaterfront.com/home/2011/11/16/boston-receives-400000-from-national-park-service-to-connect.html.

Piccol Regali (“Little Gifts”) program resumes on Saturdays starting Dec. 3. See more information at http://www.northendwaterfront.com/home/2011/11/11/piccoli-regali-little-gifts-program-resumes-on-saturdays-sta.html.

The toy drive benefiting Italian Home for Children will take place at Ducali, Pizzeria & Bar, 289 Causeway St., through Dec. 17. Unwrapped toys should be brought to Ducali.

On Friday, November 18, 2011, hundreds of people who enjoy the beauty and activity of Christopher Columbus Park will come together at the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel to support the year-round activities of the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park (FOCCP) at the 10th Anniversary Gala Fundraising Celebration. See more information at http://www.northendwaterfront.com/home/2011/10/23/10th-year-anniversary-gala-to-be-celebrated-by-friends-of-ch.html.

Stephanie Hogue said the Trinity project, parcels 2A, B and C, has a new proposal, which is currently in the comment period. Victor Brogna said Stop & Shop wants more space than would be available in the Trinity project, and the BRA is trying to talk the company into installing a smaller market before the larger space becomes available. The proposal will be posted online, and there is no expiration date set for the comment period.