Saint Mark’s Area Civic Association (SMACA) Meeting Minutes
4/25/23, 2023 7:00pm
Basement of St. Mark’s Church
Minutes by Kendra Beaver & Douglas Shaheen

Police Report — Officer Mike Keaney
● March 29 between 4pm-7:40pm - 147 Wrentham St → breaking and entering; nothing was
taken from the home; no one was caught
● April 13, 10:55am - 299 Centre st → had 8 incidents with an individual there (e.g. blocking
driveways, no license, etc.) and was eventually arrested
Representatives of Elected Officials updates & answers to questions
● Angela Yarde (617-635-3131, [email protected]), Councilor Brian Worrell’s office
○ District Office has opened up with brother, State Rep. Chris Worrell, at 5 Erie St in
Dorchester; Open M-F 12-6pm; please come out
○ The City Council passed a resolution that Councilor Worrell filed to acknowledge April
as a second-chance month, to ensure returning citizens have the resources they need
○ Councilor Worrell visited 10 senior developments throughout the community hear from
them
○ It’s budget season now; this is your opportunity to share what you need for your
community
● Lisa Searcy ([email protected], 617-635-3115), City Councilor Erin Murphy’s office
○ Join Councilor Murphy’s newsletter: https://conta.cc/3igDl4q
○ The Councilor is running for an At-Large position again
● Ross Cochran ([email protected]), Dorchester Liaison, Mayor’s Office of
Neighborhood Services
○ Mayor Wu is having coffee hour in Town Field Park on Friday, May 12. In case of rain,
it will be at the Adams Street Branch library
○ He noted that there is a lot of development going on
○ A member expressed concern about the number of rats in the neighborhood, and Ross
suggested that we have Inspections Services Department (ISD) come to a meeting
■ Call 311 to report the problem and get the reference number for tracking
purposes
■ You can also report it online and send pictures
Treasurer’s Report from Jim Rodenmacher
● Jim Rodenmacher gave his final report as outgoing Treasurer
● Our ending balance is $2,849.82
● We have had minimal expenses: mostly the monthly web fee ($34.00) and for postage and ink
cartridges
● We also donate to local causes and events, such as the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, Project
DEEP, DorchFest, etc.
SMACA Elections
● Douglas Shaheen explained that our bylaws require that nominations for officers be held in
March with the election in April. Nominations were held in March and only one person was
nominated for each position:
1
○ President – Michael Folan
○ Vice President – Laurie Martinelli and Douglas Shaheen
○ Secretary – Kendra Beaver
○ Treasurer – Vienna Rothberg
● Since there was only one candidate nominated for each office, the whole slate of candidates
was presented for a vote
● The slate was unanimously elected with a vote of 16 yes and 0 no
Neighborhood Development Proposal at 411 Adams St
● Lynn Nguyen presented for Ngan Pham a request for a change of occupancy from a smoothie
shop to a take-out only restaurant
● After a question and answer period, the members voted unanimously to support the request
with a vote of 16 yes and 0 no
Project DEEP
● Ryan McCarthy, Executive Creative Director, gave a presentation about Project DEEP and the
work it’s doing in the neighborhood
● Ryan said that he attended Project DEEP as a kid and has returned as a staff member because
of its impact
● The mission of the program is to foster the educational, athletic and social growth and
development of middle school children of all races, creeds and ethnic backgrounds throughout
the Dorchester community
● You can learn more about Project DEEP at their website: https://www.projectdeep.org/
Community Announcements
● Please share our new SMACA flyers by forwarding it to a friend virtually or posting them in
your neighborhood by printing them out
● Kelley Ready reminded people about the summer solstice family picnic at the Rev. Loesch
Family Park on June 21 from 6:00 to 8:30pm
● Kelley talked about the door hangers we have been putting up around the area and invited
people to take some to hang on doors that haven’t been done yet. She asked people to sign their
name and the street(s) they would cover. To see which streets have already been done: list
form, map form. Reach out to Kendra at [email protected] if you’d like to volunteer for
a street that has not yet been taken.
● Kelley put in a good word about Friendship Works, an organization that pairs up older adults
with volunteers
● Ronak Sathyanarayana from the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation
spoke about a Climate & Health Resident Mini-Grants funding opportunity to apply for up to
$1,000 for a local climate and health project. The application deadline is May 7th. More
information can be found here.
Meeting adjourned at 8:10