* In January, Ian Moorhouse, associate director of Hill House on Mount Vernon Street, announced ambitious plans for a restructured and expanded youth baseball program for the upcoming season.

* In January, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) unanimously approved the plan by Suffolk University to build a new academic building at 20 Somerset.

* On Jan. 27, a two-alarm blaze at 7 Anderson St. displaced residents of the six-story building. Boston Fire officials estimated the damages at $250,000.

* In April, Ellen Rooney stepped down from her position as executive director of the Beacon Hill Business Association (BHBA) to serve on the city’s Election Commission.

* On May 21, The Beacon Hill Garden Club sponsored its 80th anniversary tour of the Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill, marking a milestone for what is likely the longest-running yearly event of its kind in the U.S. The tour, chaired by Sonja Yates and Rita Robert, featured the gardens of 12 members, four of which were opened to the public for the first time.

* In June, the Beacon Hill Civic Association Membership Committee sponsored its Forum for Beacon Hill’s Young Adults in an effort to recruit a younger demographic to the longstanding volunteer organization. The forum led to a lively discussion that spawned the Beacon Hill Young Professionals, a social-networking group for 22- to -34-year-old Hill residents co-chaired by Andrew Berg and Robert Testa.

*On June 7, the Beacon Hill Art Walk took place, which gave people a chance to view the work of Hill artists and to tour the gardens and passageways of the North Slope.

* On July 1, the city’s Mounted Patrol Unit disbanded after falling prey to budget cuts, thus ending a 136-year-old tradition of Boston police on horseback.

* On July 8, the Charles River Esplanade gained Boston Landmark status after Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) voted in favor of the designation.

* On Aug. 4, Beacon Hill resident Jack Fitzgerald received a Boston Police National Night Out Community Service Award from Mayor Thomas. M. Menino during a ceremony at Paul Revere Mall in the North End. A member of the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) since 2001, Fitzgerald was a longtime participant in its Clean Beacon Hill Committee.

* On Sept. 20, the Beacon Hill Civic Association held its Neighborhood Block Party in front of the firehouse at 127 Mount Vernon St.

* In October, the Nichols House Museum announced its first interpretive plan to tell the story of the historic Beacon Hill landmark and provide a glimpse into the life of Boston’s upper middle class at the turn of the 20th century. The project was largely funded by a nearly $40,000 federal grant.

* On Oct. 13, the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA), the Beacon Hill Business Association and the Beacon Hill Garden Club sponsored the awards reception for the 51st Annual Window Box Contest.

* On Oct. 23, Hill House sponsored “Hill-O-Ween: An Evening of Good and Evil” at the Liberty Hotel.

* On Oct. 30, more than 70 residents joined city and neighborhood officials for the reopening of Phillips Street Park following the completion of an approximately $444,000 rehabilitation.

* On Nov. 18, the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) held its Annual Holiday Fundraiser/Neighborhood Cocktail Party at the Hampshire House. Proceeds from the event help defray the BHCA’s cost for decorating the neighborhood.

* On Nov. 28, William J. “Bill” Rouvalis, the legendary owner of Rouvalis Flowers on West Cedar Street, died at Lowell General Hospital. He was 69.

* In December, the state completed work on Cambridge Street and returned control of the roadway to the city. The $6.6 million project, which was originally scheduled for completion in 2003, took seven years to complete.

• On Dec. 5, the fledgling Beacon Hill Runners (BHR) group put together a group to participate in the Fifth Annual Boston Jolly Jaunt, a 5K run and walk on the Boston Common to benefit the Special Olympics. Visit beconhillrunners.com for more information about the organization.

* On Dec. 10, the Beacon Hill Holiday Stroll took place, featuring Victorian carolers, a strolling brass quintet, horse-and-buggy rides and refreshments at local shops. A tree-lighting ceremony followed at Charles and Mount Vernon streets.

In front of a packed audience of local leaders and dignitaries, Mayor Thomas M. Menino this morning took the oath of office at historic Faneuil Hall to begin his fifth term as Mayor of the City of Boston. In a ceremony that also included the swearing-in of the Boston City Council, Mayor Menino delivered his inaugural address, pledging that this term will be marked by a new era of shared innovation that draws on the progress of the past and sets the stage for Boston’s continued growth and success. With a renewed sense of urgency, the Mayor called on the people of Boston to help the new administration accomplish sweeping transformation over the next four years, emphasized by innovation in public education, economic development, and public-private partnerships.
“We should remind ourselves of the progress and look ahead with confidence,” Mayor Menino said. “This, after all, is a city of innovators. So, as we come together and take stock of who we are – on our special Boston DNA – I have no doubts about what will carry us forward. We know we can create jobs, build even stronger, safer neighborhoods, improve our schools, and provide more affordable housing. Today, knowing that all of our potential remains, we inaugurate a new era of shared innovation.”
Identifying transformative progress in education as the first hallmark of this new era, Mayor Menino cited the need to reinvent current approaches to challenges rather than settling for quick fixes. As members of the Massachusetts Legislature this week debate an education reform bill put forward by the House Ways and Means Committee, the Mayor urged legislators to adopt a bill that not only increases the cap on charter schools but also provides turnaround capacity for underperforming districts in three areas. The administration is actively working with House leaders and the Boston delegation to advocate for the following: 1) the authority to create in-district charter schools; 2) the flexibility to assign teachers where they are needed most; and 3) the ability to bypass lengthy arbitration at persistently underperforming schools.
“We can look to a day with one system of education in Boston,” Mayor Menino continued, “when there will be no wasteful feuding on charter versus pilot versus traditional public. Educators and best practices will move across fading boundaries. Our system will welcome innovation with one standard: deliver outstanding results for all our youth.”
The Mayor went on to unveil plans for creating a vibrant “Innovation District” to reinvigorate Boston’s waterfront and the Marine Industrial Park. He called for a new approach to development in the area, one that is both more deliberate and more experimental, in order to turn the space into a center for creative and emerging industries. Rooted in innovation clusters such as the green economy, biotech, and web development, the district would serve as an incubator for entrepreneurial business. The innovation district would be a testing ground for new models of housing, such as co-housing, that provide flexible live-work opportunities for entrepreneurs and researchers. The Mayor also called on the same spirit of innovation to unlock the potential of Downtown Crossing, Dudley Square, and the Albany Street Corridor.
Long known as the “Urban Mechanic” for his attention to delivering effective city services, Mayor Menino pledged this morning to usher in a wave of municipal innovation and shed the outdated label. He issued an open call to foundations, entrepreneurs, technologists, and residents alike to help make Boston the hub of municipal innovation.
“We are all urban mechanics,” Mayor Menino underscored. “Smart phones, GPS, wireless technology, and a resurgent spirit of civic engagement mean that all of us are eyes and ears on the streets, that neighbors are our greatest source of data, and our citizens the best civic entrepreneurs.”
In an effort to scale successful programs, Mayor Menino announced that by April his administration would identify two dozen existing programs to cut or consolidate and six more to expand and support.
Mayor Menino’s grandchildren introduced him at the ceremony and held the bible – a family heirloom – that he took his oath of office on. Reverend Jeffery Brown of the Boston Ten Point Coalition issued the invocation while the City of Boston’s Poet Laureate Sam Cornish recited an original poem to commemorate the event. Local jazz musician and accomplished recording artist Andre Ward provided music for the Inauguration.
“It was the privilege of a lifetime to take this oath for a fifth term this morning,” the Mayor said in concluding his address. “We only have 1,463 days in this new term. Today is day one. Let’s go make the most of it and every one that follow.”

The mayor’s inaugural

At Faneuil Hall on Monday morning, Thomas Menino made history by taking the oath for the Mayor’s office for a fifth time.
While there were lighter moments as when Menino was swearing in the City Councilors and gave them the oath for the office of Mayor, Menino’s inaugural address outlined the four serious areas that he will concentrate on in the fifth term.
These areas are improving the public school system, delivering city services better, finishing developments in downtown, along the waterfront and Dudley Square and bringing the city residents together.
Each area represents a challenge.
Some of the challenges are clearly within Menino’s power to fix like city services and development projects. As for bringing residents together, Menino is clearly the master.
The challenge of public schools is perhaps the most bold undertaking since the solutions will require authority from beyond the city. Menino is seeking help from the State House.
Senate President Theresa Murray. Speaker of the House Bob DeLeo as well as Governor Patrick were in attendance on Monday. These are the leaders that Menino must make sure are on his side in the coming battle with the School Union.
In this election year, many of the state representatives and senators as well as the Governor will not be willing to go out on a limb for Menino in his fight against the School Union.
However, the public school system must be addressed and these state leaders must do what they have been elected to do.
A healthy school system in Boston will make Menino’s other goals easier to attain and bring about a better city.
Boston needs a first quality school system that will show all the students the lesson that education is the best road to achieve success, both in business and personal choices.
Clearly there are bright spots, but there are as many troubled spots in the public school system.
Students who can clearly read and write and understand will make Boston neighborhoods safe and vibrant.
Almost all the City Councilors at large in November’s election decried the state of the public schools where many of the basic supplies are left up to the teachers to provide while paying more than $40 million yearly for a failed bussing system intended to aid the education of our children.
Menino said that we must try new roads and new solutions and that the status quo is no longer acceptable.
With his place in history certainly assured, we look forward to Menino taking the gamble and risk. With these choices can come victory or defeat.
However, Menino will need a little help from his friends at the State House.


The extended holiday

The New Year’s Holiday falling on Thursday evening was a nice touch. It extended the holiday, which gave most of us added valuable time to think and to dream. Then came almost two days of snowfall, which gave us still more incentive to build castles in the air.
The neighborhood covered with snow takes on the appearance of a jewel.
The bright white against a sea of brilliant red brick is as exhilarating to look at and to ponder as the blackness of the winter sky lit by the biggest shining stars.
This weekend’s snow cover capped the entrance of the New Year.
It caused many of us to stay inside and literally, to look inward.
What is inside always comes outside – and so it will go in 2010.

The Bruins at Fenway Park

Fenway Park is a jewel of a different sort.
The outdoor hockey game witnessed by more than 36,000 was one of the most memorable sports moments in a city replete with them over the decades.
Ice hockey began exclusively as an outdoor sport.
However, professional ice hockey is almost exclusively played inside arenas.
By coming to Fenway Park, it was like a return to yesterday. And for many New Englanders who grew up playing pond hockey during the winter, this was a moment to savor.
A hockey game inside Fenway Park at the height of a New England Winter.
Now that was something to behold!