North Cambridge Senior Center, 2050 Massachusetts Avenue
Agenda
- Star Market
- Annual Election of Officers
- Shepard Street Mural
- Ears to the Ground
- Dues
Star Market
Kevin Bacon, a lifelong Star employee and a manager at the Porter Square store, introduced himself and presented some interesting facts about Star. This is the fourth store in the Star chain and is close to its 100th anniversary. They have about 35K customers per week and are a stable business. They have "adopted" the JFK school on Elm Street and support them with gifts, money, and food, including fifty turkey dinners recently. We asked about the recent re-paving of the shopping center lot. This is actually Gravestar's responsibility, but Kevin and Si Shapiro gave us an update. It came as a surprise to everybody. The job is half done, with the remainder planned for April/May. The grids, which are owned by the MBTA, are a scheduling complication. We also asked about the mural on Davenport Street. Si Shapiro assured us that the work is getting done despite a high unanticipated cost.
Annual Election of Officers
The current set of officers were re-elected unanimously:
- President - John Howard
- Vice President - Ruth Ryals
- Secretary - Susan Hunziker
- Treasurer - Mary O'Niell
Shepard Street Mural
There is a new mural painted on the side of the Shepard Street Stabucks. This came about after the BZA rejected an oversized sign on the otherwise blank wall. AIB head emeritus Stan Trecker and our Ruth Ryals worked with Starbucks to to find a muralist and two Lesley students, who proposed a design which was approved by Starbucks and executed. Unfortunately there was a breakdown of communication with the building's actual owner, who does not approve of the mural and has demanded that it be painted over. As of November that problem was still being worked on, but more recent reports indicate that no other solution has been reached. What a shame.
Ears to the Ground
Costanza Eggers brought up the unwelcome appearance of two large NStar/Eversource electrical cabinets which have appeared unexpectedly in the promised garden behind the new Porter Square Hotel. (Subsequently we organized a special community forum to follow up on this.)
Dues
Please remember to pay your 2016 dues, only $10. They help cover PSNA’s annual expenses for things like the post office box, web site, and email list, and are required, along with attending a few meetings, for voting membership. You can pay at any meeting, or by mail to PSNA, PO Box 401016, Cambridge MA 02140.