EASTIE Watch Atlantic Works Boiler Building

The building—formerly the Atlantic Works Boiler Building—was erected in 1893 and is notable for the prominent arch facing down Maverick Street.   Following a determination by the Boston Fire Department that the building needs extensive work in order to be brought up to code, or else should be demolished, the property owner determined that demolition is the most cost-effective option from their business’ perspective.

On June 12, the Boston Landmarks Commission determined that the building has historical significance and granted a 90-day demolition delay, which expires on September 10, 2012.

On Tuesday, July 17 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the East Boston Social Center in Central Square a community meeting will be held regarding the Eastie landmark.

The purpose of this community meeting will be to educate anyone interested in preserving the building on the process, preservation options, and the various regulatory issues that govern its potential reuse.  The meeting will also be an opportunity to solicit ideas from the broader community about possible re-use strategies for the building.

For more information, please contact Scott Hamwey at [email protected].

Partners Health and Project Bread team up with YMCA

When school is out children that depend on free school lunches for a majority of their nutrition become more vulnerable to hunger.

To combat this East Boston based Project Bread is again partnering with Partners HealthCare to award $20,000 in incentive grants that serve five local Summer Food Service Program sponsors in 14 communities, including East Boston, which serves twenty-two sites.

This year, Vice President for Community Health, Partners HealthCare Matt Fishman said Partners is doubling its commitment to help provide a healthy breakfast and lunch to more than 2,700 children each day to prevent hunger, and to ensure that young people in Eastie and other neighborhoods get the nutrition they need during the summer.

The program sites in Eastie are part of 877 other sites statewide that will provide free meals to area children during the summer. The Eastie grant award includes $5,000 to the East Boston YMCA.

With Partner HealthCare’s funds, program directors like Gail Klimas of the East Y are able to buy food storage and preparation equipment for serving summer fruits and vegetables, sports or arts and crafts equipment, even books. This allows the Y to enrich the programming and increase the number of children their program serves. They can even use the funds to improve the food, changing chips for fresh peaches.

“The grant will be used for outdoor equipment as well as coolers and other items,” said Klimas.

The Summer Food Service sites in Eastie operate Monday- Friday from June to September. This year’s Eastie sites are East Boston Y, 215 Bremen Street; East Boston Y 54 Ashley Street; East Boston Central Catholic; Paris Street Community Center; Orient Heights Community Center; Brandywine Village; Piers Park Sailing Center; and Salesian Boys and Girls Club.

Last year, the Y’s summer food locations served more than 63,000 snacks and meals to local young people and this year the need is expected to be higher.

Many children rely on school meals, like breakfast and lunch, to provide them with the wholesome, nutritious food they need. In the summer months, these children need another source of food in order to remain healthy and return to school in the fall ready to learn. All meals are free to children and youths 18 years and under, no registration or sign-up necessary.

Summer meals programs tend to be less well known than school meals because they are micro community programs, held at schools, parks, swimming pools, playgrounds, and other community organizations. But they can have a big impact on a child’s health and a family’s food budget.

“The Summer Food Service Program embodies one of our top priorities in Community Health: Prevention.” Said Fishman. “For the second year in a row we have the opportunity to work with Project Bread on this important program.”

“We are grateful to Partners HealthCare for its generous commitment to the Summer Food Service Program because summer is a crucial time for children to grow, socialize, and learn in preparation for the next school year,” said Project Bread Executive Director Ellen Parker “This funding will allow us to strengthen these programs so that they provide a local, safe, community solution for what out-of-school kids can do over the long summer days. We know that when children and teens get a healthy breakfast and lunch at a summer food site, their parents have more money for a nutritious meal at night.”

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