Saint Mark’s Area Civic Association (SMACA) Meeting Minutes
Jan. 31, 2023 7:00pm
Basement of St. Mark’s Church
Minutes by Laurie Martinelli, Vice President
Attendees (including speakers): 16

Welcome
● Kendra Beaver, SMACA Secretary, filled in to chair the meeting
Police Report — Officer Mike Keaney
● Spoke only of two police matters, both involving guns and the sale of drugs
○ There was a shooting on Dot Ave from Centre St in the middle of the day and a warrant
out for arrest of the potential suspect.
○ Second incident involved a 19 year old who was shot during a supposed drug deal but
refused to give any information.
● Overall, 2022 was an excellent year in District 11, with crime down 20%
Representatives of Elected Officials updates & answers to questions
● Angela Yard, from the office of City Councilor Brian Worrell, spoke briefly about the City’s
budget process which is occurring now through February. She will be following up with
SMACA to learn if we have any budget priorities.
● Ross Cochran, new Dorchester liaison from the City of Boston’s Office of Neighborhood
Services, introduced himself. He’s new so just learning the ropes. Contact him at
[email protected] or 617-407-2179.
Review and Next Steps of the SMACA Survey
● Read the SMACA Survey Results here and the Summary of Results here
● Kendra led this discussion giving a thorough summary of the findings. Following Kendra’s
overview, she opened up the floor for feedback and asked the following questions:
● How can we make our meetings more diverse?
○ Zoom – makes meetings more accessible
○ Should we translate our flyers, agendas, etc. into other languages?
○ Will there be more Neighborhood Open Street events where we can table & recruit?
● How to attract more people, including renters?
○ Dorchester Reporter: Don’t see SMACA listed in their community calendar
○ Post flyers at libraries
○ Try outreach with the schools
○ Do more with social media: A new attendee and young mom talked about a Dot Parents
FB parent group where they would be willing to post about our meetings
○ Consider quarterly themes for meetings, e.g. parents night, ladies night, Latinx night →
encourage members who can’t attend every meeting to attend certain ones that are
most relevant to them
○ Host a SMACA family picnic in the summer
Guest Speaker: Phil Geneus of PhilComp computer repair at 1690A Dot Ave
1
● Phil gave excellent remarks about how he came to this country from Haiti in 1980. He followed
three important principles upon arriving:
○ Learn the language;
○ Find a job;
○ Go back to school.
● Phil graduated with a degree in civil engineering in 1987. He had several jobs before he
opened his first computer business in 1998 and has never looked back.
● For 25 years his strongest advertisement is his referrals: “My customers follow me and I have
earned 5 stars” on Google Reviews because of the quality of the service I provide
● If you need computer services, please visit Phil’s business, or call 617-265-1910
Community Announcements
● Friendship Works: Ending elder isolation by creating connections such as medical escorts.
Consider becoming a volunteer. Contact them at 617-482-1510 or www.fw4elders.org
● Age Strong Commission: Contact this city agency for transportation to medical appointments
and more at 617-635-4366 or [email protected]
● Please share our new SMACA flyers by forwarding it to a friend virtually or posting them in
your neighborhood by printing them out
Meeting adjourned at 8:15pm