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Could we get the next Green Line extension?

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Could we get the next Green Line extension?

Might it be possible to one day take the Green Line to Needham?
 
A newly-funded feasibility study will explore the idea of connecting the Eliot MBTA-stop to the Newton Upper Falls Greenway, across the Charles River, over I-95 and on to Needham Heights.
 
The $200,000 earmark, sponsored by Sens. Cindy Creem and Becca Rausch, had been pending for months and was finalized in a supplemental budget signed by Gov. Charlie Baker last week.
 
The funds are specifically for an "evaluation and cost-benefit analysis" for a "multimodal" project designed to accommodate bikes, pedestrians and electric shuttle buses.
 
In other words, this idea still has a long way to go.
 
And it's not without controversy.
 
Some prior discussions about adding a shuttle along the Greenway (a bike and pedestrian rail trail that runs parallel to Needham Street) faced resistance from some Newton residents and politicians who want the wooded path to remain as is.
 
Others say there's enough width along the Greenway to accommodate a shuttle, bikes and pedestrians and that the project would be the best way to mitigate congestion along Needham Street and Highland Ave (especially with two Northland projects and the Muzi redevelopment in the pipeline). 
 
Put me in the second camp. This would be a game changer.
 
Mixed use project proposed for Watertown Square
 
O’Connor Capital Partners  is developing a proposal for a five-story mixed use project just outside of Watertown Square at the site of post office on Main Street and extending to Cross and Pleasant streets. 
 
The project would include 146 housing units on top of 5,450 sq. ft. of retail and commercial space with 148 parking spaces in two levels of parking. The proposal also provides 21,788 sq. ft. of open space. (Watertown News)
 
Who won’t be trudging up Heartbreak Hill?
 
There will be no runners who reside in Russia or Belarus dashing through the Wellesley Scream Tunnel or up Heartbreak Hill at this month’s Boston Marathon.
 
The Boston Athletic Association announced that residents of the two countries will not be allowed to participate, the Globe reports
 
Belarusian and Russian citizens who do not reside in those counties will be allowed to run, but not under their countries’ flags. 
 
New on the dining scene
 
  • The Dining Car, a local business that began as one of the first food trucks in Boston in 2011, has opened at 4 Hartford Street in Newton Highlands. (Newton Patch).
   
  • Private chef and caterer David Welch — a longtime Formaggio Kitchen alum known especially for founding the store’s popular weekend barbecue stand — is opening his own bistro at the Street this spring. (Eater Boston)
 
  • Demos is still serving its famous lamb sandwiches in Watertown Square but has closed its Waltham location. It's been replaced by Boston Kebab House (Boston Restaurant Talk).
 
  • Chef Douglass Williams, of MIDA in Newtonville and the South End is planning to open yet another restaurant, this one in East Boston. (Boston Restaurant Talk).
 
Help support Ukrainian refugees in Moldova
 
Next Thursday (April 14) the chamber’s Young Professionals Group will host a morning networking event at Moldova Restaurant in Nonantum that will also serve as a fundraising for Ukrainian refugees in Moldova.
 
While this YPG event is for professionals under 40 to network, you can still donate to the Moldova Restaurant’s fundraising efforts through the Ukraine Refugee Relief Effort.
 
Learn more about Moldova Restaurant, its menu and customers in this article from the B.C. Heights website.
 
Looking for new places to find workers?
 
Andy Medici at the Business Journals suggests small-business owners consider using their own email lists to recruit future hires.
 
Also check out the video from last week’s chamber webinar about the state’s HireNow program and different pipelines for finding and training workers (a members-only benefit).
 
Wellesley approves outdoor dining, one day licenses
 
For-profit businesses in Wellesley will soon be able to apply for one day beer and wine licenses to serve at events such as grand openings, special shopping events, gallery openings, networking nights, etc. 
 
Currently only nonprofits are allowed one day liquor licenses. But Town Meeting voted Tuesday to expand the change, pending expected approval on Beacon Hill.
 
Town Meeting also gave the town authority to allow restaurants to serve alcohol on public spaces, such as sidewalks or parklets. Outdoor dining in public spaces in Wellesley is currently only allowed under the state's pandemic emergency provisions. That allowance was just extended but expires next April. This change makes outdoor dining permanent. 
 
More need to knows
 
  • If you’re one of the many Massachusetts residents who received pandemic unemployment benefits only to told later you were overpaid and need to pay it back, the Globe’s Larry Edelman has the latest and, more importantly, your options.
 
  • Don’t forget to register for the 2022 Massachusetts Small Business Day (virtual) on April 12 at noon. The focus will be healthcare affordability and will feature presenters on various healthcare-related topics. There will also be a legislative update on key bills maneuvering through the Legislature. This free event is open to all small business owners.
 
  • The Watertown Community Foundation will distribute approximately $125,000 through two spring 2022 grant programs to support local nonprofits, community-based organizations, programs, and projects. Deadline April 23. Details.
 
  • Equal Justice Needham presents “Fair Housing Through the Context of Modern-Day Needham” a discussion with urban planner and fair housing policy expert Judi Barrett Monday, April 11,  7:15 p.m. Register.
 
  • OddFellows is giving away free ice cream at its location at The Street today (Thurs) starting at 2 p.m. and until supplies last.
 
 
Ready or not, corporate COVID rules are fading
 
Many of the nation’s largest companies are relaxing vaccine and other COVID-related protocols, writes Chip Cutter at  the Wall Street Journal.
 
At JP Morgan Chase, for example, masks and mandatory testing are now optional, even for the unvaccinated. Also dropped: It’s policy of hiring only the vaccinated.
 
Then there's United Airlines, which made headlines last year for its strict vax requirement. Now their bringing back workers  who’ve been on unpaid leave for religious or medical exemptions.
 
The loosening of protocols is fine with some. Others aren’t happy.
 
And while you won't find it in your HR handbook, returning to the workplace comes with other challenges too, such as remembering how to eat lunch.
 
Or remembering how to make small talk.
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That’s your Need to Knows for today -- National Beer Day -- unless you need to know how much newspaper chain Gannett paid its CEO in 2021.
 
See you tomorrow. Let's go Mets!
 
 
Greg Reibman (he, him)
President
Charles River Regional Chamber
617.244.1688
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