Pump House Sale to UMass Boston Yields Local Scholarships
A landmark building on Columbia Point will soon become part of UMass-Boston’s campus. The Calf Pasture Pumping station has been there since the 1880s, but it’s largely gone unused in recent decades. UMass officials have struck a deal with the Boston Water & Sewer Commission – which currently owns the building. UMass will get ownership in exchange for $2.1 million in scholarships to city students. The $1,000 awards will go out over 15 years to Boston Public School grads to use for tuition, fees, or other costs. Seventy incoming freshmen will likely receive the scholarship in 2012. University officials are still planning out how they’ll make use of the nine-acre property. The building itself is on the National Register of Historic Places.Plan Calls for Catholic Parishes to Consolidate Administration
There are more changes in store for Dorchester’s Catholic parishes. Priests from across Boston have received a proposed list of parishes that will be combined in the coming years. No churches will close under the plan, but the reorganization will mean sharing pastors and other resources. This so-called collaborative model is not new to Dorchester. In fact, three parishes — Blessed Mother Teresa, Holy Family and St. Peter’s—already share one pastor, Fr. Jack Ahern. And last year, St. Mark’s longtime pastor Fr. Dan Finn was put in charge of St. Ambrose church in Fields Corner as well. The proposed list made public last week would keep those teamed parishes together. It also bundles St. Gregory’s in Lower Mills with St. Matthew and St. Angela’s in Mattapan. St. Brendan’s and St. Ann’s in Neponset would also be paired together. And St. Christopher’s church on Columbia Point gets bundled with four South Boston churches under this plan. A church commission is expected to make a final recommendation to the Cardinal later this year. Meetings on the proposed pairings have already begun at the parish level.Police Investigate Vandalism of Religious Statues in Dorchester
Boston Police are investigating the destruction of a religious statue outside of a Columbia Road church this weekend. The statue of Jesus was destroyed by a vandal on Sunday morning around at 3 a.m. near Blessed Mother Teresa church. The statue had once sat outside St. William Church on Dorchester Ave. It was re-located after that church was closed in 2009. Police say they do have a possible suspect in mind, but no one has been charged yet. This was not the only instance of a vandal targeting a religious symbol this past week. A neighbor on Rosemont Street near Hemenway Park reported that her Virgin Mary statue was also smashed and destroyed last Wednesday.State Senator Jack Hart Named Assistant Majority Leader
State Senator Jack Hart moved up the Democratic leadership ladder in the Senate this week. Hart was named assistant majority leader by Senate President Therese Murray. He replaces former state Senator Steven Tolman in that role.MBTA Schedules Dorchester Meeting on Service and Fares Plan
The MBTA will host a public meeting in Mattapan next Tuesday to discuss proposed fare hikes and service cuts. That meeting is set for Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. at the Mildred Ave. community center. There will also be a pair of meetings held on Thursday at the Dorchester House near Fields Corner. The first workshop will be held from 1-3 p.m., with a second evening session planned Thursday at 6 p.m. The T is weighing two proposals that could trigger substantial fares hikes, that have not risen since 2007. The cost of subway ride could rise to $2.40 from $1.70, under one scenario. Bus fares could also go up by 50 cents. Meanwhile the T has also proposed eliminating weekend service on commuter rail and certain bus and trolley lines, including the Mattapan High Speed Trolley.
Vietnamese Community to Celebrate New Year January 28
Dorchester’s Harbor School will be the epicenter of this year’s Tet celebrations for the Vietnamese community. Thousands are expected to gather at the Fields Corner school on Saturday to welcome in the Year of the Dragon. The daylong Tet in Boston event feature professional singers, dancing and martial arts. Again, it’s all day Saturday at the Harbor School on Charles Street.For more news from Dorchester, visit the Reporter.