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Low wage workers left on the sidelines

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Low wage workers left on the sidelines

Low wage workers got theirs, they say.
 
Now it’s middleclass taxpayers’ time.
 
Unless you’re married. Then you may not get as much.
 
You’re not alone if you’re scratching your head over a proposal to emerge from Beacon Hill yesterday that would provide a one-time $250 rebate by October (just in time for, you guessed it, Election Day) to help offset the rising cost of living.
 
Unless, notes Matt Stout at the Globe, you’re among the state’s poorer residents.
 
Then you get nothing.
 
The "Taxpayer Energy and Economic Relief Fund" would provide one-time $250 rebates to taxpayers who reported between $38,000 and $100,000 in 2021 earnings.
 
“Whether it is the rising price of gas, groceries, or summer clothes for kids, the Massachusetts Legislature has heard loud and clear that increased costs due to inflation have cut into family budgets,” House and Senate leaders said yesterday.
 
However, if you filed jointly, you’re also eligible for $250 each, only if your joint income was between $38,000 and $150,000 -- which is really the lesser of two things that seem wrong about this.
 
The bigger problem is workers who earned less than $38,000 don't qualify.
 
Our Legislative leaders say that’s because low wage workers received $500 checks earlier in the pandemic.
 
Of course, they seem to be forgetting that those $500 bonuses (which when first proposed were going to be $2,000 bonuses) were promoted as a way to show gratitude to all those essential workers who took care of the rest of us during the state of emergency.
 
Nice gratitude.
 
And presumably, they also must believe less affluent filers squirreled away that $500 to cover today's higher cost of gas, food, clothes etc.?
 
Lasell University president to step down
 
Our congratulations and thanks to Lasell University President Michael B. Alexander who announced his retirement this week after a 16 years of service to both the university and our greater community.
 
In his time leading Lasell, Alexander helped the school change its name from a college to a university and lead the formation of two new academic centers: the Donahue Center for Creative and Applied Arts and the Science and Technology Center.
 
He also forged many collaborations with our business community, including partnerships with Newton Wellesley Hospital and Encore Boston Resort and Casino. He also served as CEO of Lasell Village; a model senior living community located adjacent to the school’s Auburndale campus.
 
Alexander will leave at the end of the upcoming school year. The university will launch a search for a new president immediately.
 
The chamber is grateful for his leadership and friendship.
 
Local doc sums up in 14 words why we’re still dealing with this pandemic
 
“We got the biological science right, but we didn’t get the social science right,” said Newton resident Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House’s COVID response coordinator.
 
Newton commuter rail project slowly chugs forward
 
A decades-long effort to upgrade the Auburndale, West Newton and Newtonville commuter rail stations took another positive step forward yesterday when Sen. Cindy Creem was able to secure $85 million for the project in a transportation bond bill that will be considered next week.
 
Gov. Charlie Baker had also requested $85 million for the project as part of a supplemental budget request, while the House version of the bond bill includes a $25 million authorization filed by Rep. Kay Khan . (The final appropriation would need to be resolved in conference committee.)
 
The much-needed project would “ensure Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility, address reliability and modernization needs, improve current operations to enable increased service frequency and reduced travel times, enhance station amenities and improve connections to the city’s road network,” according to the Senate bill.
 
The total estimated cost of the project is $170 million. The $85 million would be the state’s contribution that would ideally be matched by federal funds that Congressman Jake Auchincloss and the MBTA are pursuing from the federal infrastructure bill. 
 
Hancock Village expansion takes another step forward 
 
The most recent phase of Chestnut Hill Realty’s Hancock Village project has opened in Chestnut Hill with the recent addition of a three-story, 36-unit Josiah Bartlett Building at 120 Gerry Road.
 
The new building represents one phase of an ambitious multi-year plan that will include 175 apartments later this summer and the 250-unit Franklin apartment building in spring 2024.
 
Of the 36 apartments in the new Bartlett Building, five are classified as affordable housing. Thirty-five of the 175 units coming later this year are affordable and 50 of the 250-unit building in 2024 will be affordable.
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“The severe housing shortage over the past several years has placed a premium on rental options,” says Chestnut Hill Realty CEO Ed Zuker. “The new Bartlett Building and our total of 425 new units help fill a critical need in Boston and represents our investment in a strong local economy and higher quality of life for area residents.”
 
Hancock Village, owned and managed by CHR since 1986, is an 80-acre townhome style apartment complex built in the 1940s. When completed Hancock Village will offer over 1,300 one-, two- and three-bedroom single-level and townhome-style units. 
 
Other need to knows
   
  • HYM Investment Group, Balfour Senior Living & Welltower and Robert A.M. Stern Architects are teaming up on a proposed130-unit senior care facility at the Zucker top of Pond Road, near Rte. 135 in Wellesley. (Swellesley Report)
   
  • MetroWest Medical Center is in talks with Tufts Medicine to provide a wide range of oncology, including hematology oncology, radiation oncology and infusion services.  MetroWest’s parent, Tenet Health, has announced plans to close its medical oncology and radiation oncology departments at the Framingham center. (Framingham Source)
 
Interested in sponsoring this newsletter?
 
 
Newton-Needham bridge will close to all traffic Monday night
 
Nighttime reconstruction on the bridge connecting Needham Street in Newton with Highland Ave. in Needham will continue for approximately another two weeks.
 
There will also be a full bridge closure will be implemented from 8 p.m. on Monday, July 11 to 4 a.m. the following morning, which will require a full vehicular detour. Details 
 
Restaurants, those in need, helped in Watertown
 
Every Monday and Friday, the chamber has been partnering with local restaurants and volunteers to deliver meals to the Watertown Community Fridge for those facing food insecurity. 
 
It’s all part of our Nourishing Watertown program, funded by a significant contribution by TripAdvisor and many private donations.
 
It’s all part of an ongoing chamber program designed to support both our local restaurant community and those in need. 
 
We’ve run similar initiatives in Newton, Wellesley and Needham over the past two years.
 
Since May, we've purchased 120 meals in Watertown from Diner at North Beacon, No. 1 Taste Chinese, India Kitchen, Deluxe Town Diner, Shiraz Cuisine and Demos. (That’s Don Levy of Deluxe Town Diner at the Fridge in the photo.)
 
If you operate an independent Watertown restaurant and are interested in participating (restaurants are compensated for all meals), learn more and fill out a partner application form here.
 
We also need volunteers to help with Watertown deliveries. If interested, complete this form.
 
Learn more about our Nourishing programs and additional ways you can support the effort or make a contribution, here. (Note contributions are not tax deductible but every dollar donated goes directly to purchase meals.)
 
Needham son to be honored Monday
 
Finally, this morning, Damon “David” Borrelli, one of eight children of Italian immigrants who grew up in a three-bedroom house on Central Avenue in Needham, will be honored Monday (July 11) for making ultimate sacrifice for our nation.
 
Borrelli was killed during World War II on July 11, 1944 in the Battle of Saint-Lô and was later was buried in the American Military Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach. He was 21. Read more about his story here.
 
A bridge located on Great Plain Avenue near Hersey MBTA station will be renamed in his honor in a ceremony at 1:30 p.m.
 
(Yes, he’s related to Needham Selectperson Matthew Borrelli who would have been Damon’s nephew.)
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That’s Need to Knows for today, unless you need to know where you can buy a 76 million-year-old dinosaur skeleton.
 
 
Be back Tuesday. Enjoy the weekend. Don't forget to register for our big event next week.
 
Greg Reibman (he, him)
President
Charles River Regional Chamber
617.244.1688
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