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Tell your employees to take a hike

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Tell your employees to take a hike

The words “lively,” “talk” and “zoning” don’t typically end up in the same sentence.
 
But back in 2014, George Proakis delivered a TedX Talk about zoning that was lively and witty too. And it 6,400-plus views.
 
Proakis is currently executive director of Somerville’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development. But he could be bringing his expertise (and dare I say, apparent disinterest in combs) to Watertown.
 
He’s one of three finalists for the Watertown's city manager job. Last week, a majority of city council members signaled Proakis is their preferred candidate, according to the Watertown News.
 
A final vote is pending.
 
Which makes this really important
 
The hiring of Watertown’s first new top administrator in three decades comes just as the city is launching an 18-month process to update its Comprehensive Plan. 
 
The process will focus on land use, economic development, transportation and open space and recreation and it's critical that our businesses, property owners and nonprofits contribute to this conversation to help shape the city’s future.
 
It all kicks off Thursday (May 19) at 7 p.m. at the Hosmer School with a visioning forum. Participate in-person or by Zoom.
 
Our friends at the Watertown Business Coalition are hosting an event about the Comprehensive Plan process at City Hall tomorrow (Weds) at 8:30 a.m. Details.
 
MBTA unveils proposed bus route changes
 
The long-awaited proposed changes to the MBTA bus routes are out.
I’ve only quickly reviewed the proposal (and could use bus users' help understanding the changes). But while the T is touting greatly expanded service,
it appears Newton comes out as a loser, with more Sunday service but less service overall.
 
On the other hand, Watertown would see a 25% increase overall.
 
Needham’s only bus route (No. 59) appears unchanged. (Wellesley is part of the MWRTA, not the MBTA network.)
 
The T has created a tool that allows users to compare how the changes would impact you.
 
?Or you could take two Advil and have fun making sense of this interactive map.
 
MBTA officials project the changes would require $90 million in added spending, a significant new cost at a time when the agency expects it will face a deficit of hundreds of millions of dollars, writes State House News Chris Lisinski.
 
They’ll also need more drivers to staff increases at a time when officials are already struggling to hire.
 
If you’re a bus user, or business whose employees or customers depend on T buses), I’d be interested in hearing how these changes impact you.
 
And submit feedback to the T here.
 
Other need to knows
 
  • Every month a group of employers and managers meet virtually to share success stories and challenges related to making their workplaces more diverse, equitable and inclusive. If you work for a company with 15 or more employees and are interested in joining our DEI affinity group (next meeting is June 8 at 1 p.m. via zoom), send me an email.
 
  • Mark Development and SRG Senior Living will present its proposal for a 209 unit elder housing project (129 independent living units – studio – 2 bedrooms; 52 Assisted Living Units -studio – 2 bedrooms; and 28 Memory Care Units – studio only) on Crafts Street in Newtonville to the Land Use Committee tonight via Zoom (Tues) at 7 p.m.  Details.
 
  • Bar 'Cino, which has locations in Brookline and Newport, RI (and is owned by group behind Papa Razzi in Concord and Wellesley) is hiring in anticipation of opening at a yet to be announced location in Watertown. (Boston Restaurant Talk)
 
  • An interactive map published by the Globe tracks how much median home prices have risen statewide in just two years, including in Needham (up 21%), Newton (18%), Wellesley (17.8%) and Watertown (8.7%).
 
Mental health resources
 
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and here’s some helpful numbers to share with employees, compiled by Newton Health & Human Services Department
   
For resource information and/or provider referrals from a mental health professional:
 
 
Want not, waste not
 
If you’re scheduling outdoor events, conferences, and workplace gatherings for the spring and summer, RecyclingWorks offers these resources to help incorporate waste management into your planning.
 
 
What a great choice for this year's speaker
 
Douglass Williams, the chef-owner of MIDA in Newtonville, and two other Boston-area restaurants will deliver the keynote at the Annual Theodore D. Mann Memorial Newton Mayor’s Community Breakfast.
 
Douglass Williams
It’s being held outdoors on Weds. May 25 at 7:30 a.m. in a tent on the UMass Mount Ida College campus in Newton.
 
Williams is a 2022 James Beard Foundation semifinalist for the “Outstanding Chef, America” award. He also won Best Chef General Excellence award from Boston Magazine
 
This breakfast is presented by Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, the Harmony Foundation and the Newton Interfaith Clergy Association.
 
Each year the chamber assists the Harmony Foundation with ticket sales. Register.
 
Tell your employees to take a hike (and you should too)
 
A study out of Texas A&M found evidence that employees who spent time outdoors before and after work were in better moods when they arrived at work, which fueled higher work effort later in the day.
 
“Contact with nature improves people’s moods, sharpens people’s cognitive abilities, makes them more cooperative, reduces burnout and enhances employees’ productivity,” writes Anthony C. Klotz professor of business administration at A&M's Mays Business School in the Wall Street Journal.
 
“By allowing workers more meaningful access to nature through flexible work schedules, leaders provide employees with a work arrangement that facilitates higher well-being and performance.”
 
I'll see you out there.
 
 
 
That’s Need to Knows for today unless you need a mathematical equation to help you decide what time to show up at a party.
 
Great to have you back, Robert Williams.
 
Greg Reibman (he, him)
President
Charles River Regional Chamber
617.244.1688
 
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