The Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) will hold its monthly Board meeting on July 16 in an online format, and will consider two license agreements based in Charlestown.
Aside from that, the agenda is rather light for the entire city.
One of the agreements has, in fact, already started and ended before getting approval from the BPDA – a program in partnership with the Newmarket Business Association (NMBA) to train applicants for a CDL license to drive heavy trucks on the Bunker Hill parking lots. The BPDA Board will analyze the agreement and the use, but in actuality, the program began on June 22 and ended July 2 over a total of 10 days.
“Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the New Market Business Association and Bill’s Taxi service were unable to secure a privately-owned location for the practical portion of the instruction,” read the memo. “Time being of the essence, NMBA and reached out to BPDA requesting the short-term use of the lot at Bunker Hill Community College. The BPDA granted a two-week license agreement to Bill’s Taxi on or about June 22, 2020, and now seeks ratification and confirmation of the same.”
The program seeks to train workers how to drive heavy trucks by funding a training with the City’s Office of Workforce Development (OWD). Such training puts them on a pathway to a better occupation and financial stability.
NMBA teamed up with OWD’s Job Development Initiative to fund scholarships to, and facilitate locations for, Commercial Driver’s License Courses. NMBA has partnered with Bill’s Taxi Service, Inc. to fulfill the education requirements of the CDL program.
Certainly any opposition would be fruitless, since it’s already happened.
There was no charge for the use of the property.
• Spaulding to Use Pier for Social Distancing Program
Spaulding Rehab is petitioning the BPDA Board to approve a license to use 15,000 sq. ft. of land on Pier 11 adjacent to Menino Park for a long-standing program to support those transitioning from rehabilitation to an active lifestyle. The program is known as the Spaulding Adaptive Sport Center’s Weingarten Program.
The program has run since 2001 and serves 1,000 people with physical and cognitive challenges each year. They have operated at the pier behind Spaulding for some time offering land and water based activities. Because of social distancing this summer, they need more space to spread the program out.
It will be separate and fenced off from Menino Park. The agreement, if approved, would run through Oct. 31.