►
Description
At Tavolo restaurant in Dorchester, Mayor Walsh offers remarks and presents a citation to Citizens Bank for their financial support of the Boston Main Streets Foundation in their branding and marketing initiative.
A
A
A
You
good
afternoon
everyone
and
welcome
to
the
newly
rebranded
greater
ashmont
main
streets
district.
My
name
is
Joel
sklar
and
I've
had
the
honor
of
serving
as
the
board
chair
of
the
Boston
main
streets
foundation
for
the
last
several
years.
As
many
of
you
know,
the
Boston
Main
Street
foundation
has
in
recent
years
been
focused
on
raising
funds
from
the
private
sector
and
issuing
impact
and
innovation
grants
to
the
various
main
streets
districts.
A
A
So
over
the
years,
one
of
the
consistent
concerns
we
heard
from
our
local
businesses
has
been
their
desire
to
expand
the
marketing
reach
of
the
main
streets
program.
Spreading
the
word
about
the
diverse
and
thriving
retail
quarters.
We
have
right
here
in
Boston's,
neighborhoods
to
the
tourists
to
residents
and
business
people
in
Greater,
Boston
and
in
surrounding
communities.
A
At
the
end
of
2015,
we
were
approached
by
Rick
Musial
from
citizens
bank
Rick
as
a
senior
vice
president
and
regional
director
of
public
affairs
at
citizen
bank,
with
an
offer
to
provide
significant
funding
to
the
main
streets
district
for
a
focused
program
of
some
kind
to
be
identified.
The
foundation
saw
this
generous
offer
as
a
unique
opportunity
to
begin
addressing
the
marketing
goal
that
we
had
heard
so
much
about
in
a
real
and
impactful
way.
A
Matching
Citizens
Bank,
very
generous
$100,000
investment.
We
committed
our
own
$50,000
commitment
to
this
program,
so
we
had
150
thousand
dollars
available
for
this
challenge
grant
and
the
foundation
was
able,
with
this
money,
to
successfully
launch
what
we
expect
will
be
a
multi-year
marketing
effort
to
take
Boston
Main
streets
to
a
higher
level.
A
The
citizens
challenge
grant
addresses
the
marketing
needs
of
Austin
main
streets
on
two
levels:
first,
working
closely
with
the
city,
Main
Street
staff,
community
members,
many
of
you
here
and
a
leading
Boston
brace
based
branding
firm
CTP.
We
were
able
to
put
in
place
a
critical
piece
of
the
marketing
infrastructure
needed
to
raise
the
profile
of
Main
streets,
the
exciting
new
logo.
You
see
on
this
main
streets
banner
with
20,
distinct
colored
segments
forming
a
unified
circular
brand
logo,
emblematic
of
the
cultural
diversity
of
our
city's
20
districts.
A
Nine
districts
applied
for
the
citizens
bank
challenge
grant
funds
with
proposals
on
how
they
would
leverage
the
new
umbrella
brand
and
create
a
marketing
plan
to
promote
their
local
commercial
districts.
Today
we
are
pleased
to
recognize
the
five
main
streets
district
who
were
recipients
of
the
Citizens
Bank
challenge
grant
grove
hall.
A
They
had
a
plan
for
their
neighborhood
of
the
future
alston
village
main
streets
which
used
the
funds
for
marketing
pop
allston,
a
very
unique
pop
up
space,
and
that
was
sort
of
a
community
center
in
allston
village
egleston
square,
which
utilized
the
funds
for
a
social
media
campaign
in
local
media
outlets
fields,
corner
Main
streets,
which
executed
their
dining
on
dot
program
and,
of
course,
our
hosted
a
greater
ashmont
Main
streets
which
use
the
funds
from
the
challenge
grant
to
completely
rebrand
and
rename
the
main
streets
district
from
st.
marks
area.
A
Matrix
to
what
we
see
today,
greater
ashmont
means
now.
None
of
this
work
we
do
at
the
foundation
would
be
possible
without
the
tremendous
leadership
and
support
of
Mayor
Walsh
and
his
team
in
the
city's
office
of
small
business
development
in
the
main
streets
program
from
his
earliest
days
in
office.
Mayor
Walsh
has
made
a
clear
commitment
to
small
businesses
and
specifically
to
the
main
streets
program,
doubling
the
city's
funding
for
on-site
business
assistance
and
increasing
the
city's
direct
financial
support
for
the
main
streets
program
by
thirty
percent.
A
The
mayor
Walsh,
his
commitments
and
small
businesses
has
only
grown
throughout
his
tenure
in
office
and
now
includes
the
establishment
of
the
city's
first
small
business
plan
published
in
march,
which
sets
out
a
clear
roadmap
for
the
development
and
support
of
small
businesses
throughout
the
city.
I
also
want
to
acknowledge.
We
have
in
attendance
here
today
the
people
in
charge
of
executing
that
small
business
plan
and
the
mayor's
vision
chief
of
economic
development,
John
Barris,
is
here.
B
B
We
thought
you
talked
about
making
sure
that
we
start
to
set
records
and
raising
money
and
I
really
put
an
incredible
effort
and
team
in
place,
and
this
doesn't
work
without
having
a
strong
chair
and
a
strong
board,
as
well
as
the
main
street,
to
know
if
you
don't
have
a
strong
chair
and
a
strong
board,
it's
very
difficult
to
move
forward
and
I
want
to
thank
you,
joel
fofa,
for
being
a
leader
here
in
the
city.
So
thank
you
very
much
for
all
your
great
work.
I.
B
B
Cuz
I
ran
in
the
front
door
and
I
think
I
saw
Jim
key
first
I
looked
up
and
I
was
a
gym.
I
said
I
mean
else
around
me:
I,
don't
replace,
they
haven't
been
interested
renovation,
I
apologize,
but
thank
you
very
much
Philippe.
Thank
you
very
much
for
hosting
us
today
in
the
india
and
the
greater
rational
on
Main
Street
I
can't
get
used
to
the
greater
national
main
street
name.
Here's
on
the
mask
is
when
it
for
years
the
state
representative,
ashmont,
Main
Street
so
I
want
to.
Thank
you.
B
I
want
to
thank
Steve
Gilman
as
well.
My
Noah
bunch
of
other
people.
Karen
was
mentioned,
John
Barros,
who
who's
doing
an
incredible
job,
and
you
don't
need
to
hear
that,
but
what
John
does
and
he
treats
GE
as
Carolyn.
He
treats
GE
as
he
treats
you
know,
small
local
business
on
the
corner,
it's
about.
How
do
we
expand
and
how
do
we
grow
so
I
want
to
thank
you.
Team
and
I
also
want
to
give
a
shout
out
to
a
friend
of
mine
front
of
all
about
steve.
B
B
You
know
it's
great
to
be
in
the
city
and
when
you
go
into
the
neighborhood
is
a
main
streets
and
seeing
seeing
the
excitement
and
then,
when
I've
had
a
chance
to
walk
the
main
streets
with
you
personally,
the
commitment
that
you
have
to
the
neighborhood
and
in
the
understanding
you
have
in
little
little
little
chunks
of
different
streets
and
I
want
to.
Thank
you
for
that
as
well.
B
But
today
is
about
thanking
citizens
and
the
Boston
Main
Street
foundation
for
their
contributions
directly
to
you
know:
greater
ashmont,
Egleston
square,
austin,
village,
greater
growth,
all
fields
corner
all
the
main
streets.
Citizens
understands
the
importance
of
these
different
areas
and
our
main
streets
in
our
community.
They
understand
that
a
thriving,
healthy,
innovative,
Main,
Street
District
Health
citizens
bank,
and
they
certainly
understand
that
by
supporting
us
and
giving
back
the
the
power
of
Main
streets
right
here
in
this
neighborhood
the
last
year.
B
This
in
this
neighborhood,
along
in
the
greater
action
on
Main
Street
District,
five
businesses
opened
51
special
events
we
saw
so
friend
occupy
rated
92%.
They
launched
the
website
redesign
if
we
stood
here
in
this
space
20
years
ago.
First
of
all,
we'd
be
sitting
on
a
parking
lot.
We'd
be
looking
at
a
train
station
that
needed
repair
would
see
a
bar
across
the
street
called
the
Ashmont
grill
Ashley
Ashmont
grill
right
was
a
sylvanian
that
needed
in
desperate
need
of
renovation.
Think
it
was
white
with
red
writing.
B
If
no
windows,
you
certainly
weren't
going
there
to
get
a
bowl
of
pasta
in
peabody
square,
you
could
actually
come
up,
come
up
ashkelon
street
and
take
a
right
over
where
the
pockets
right
now
and
it
was.
There-
was
really
no
rhyme
or
reason
to
it.
You
didn't
see
what
you
saw
and
the
power
of
neighbors
getting
together
and
talking
about
making
a
change.
B
The
changes
here
in
this
neighborhood,
but
in
particular
over
the
last
year,
has
taken
this
this
neighborhood
and
put
put
them
in
a
position
to
take
advantage
of
the
commercial
growth
opportunities
in
the
neighborhood,
along
with
the
help,
what
we're
trying
to
do
in
the
city
and
the
City
Hall
about
bringing
businesses
to
the
community,
not
all
just
in
the
sea
port
area
in
the
downtown
area.
Although
other
Fennelly
area,
the
boylston
area,
we're
looking
to
say
how
do
we
bring?
B
How
do
we
bring
development
to
the
neighborhoods
and
what
you're
doing,
and
what
they're
doing
here
is
a
huge
statement
to
that
piece.
What
citizens
is
doing
is
showing
a
strong
commitment
to
the
city
of
Boston
as
well.
Good
corporate
neighbors
helped
us
and
compliment
programs
like
restore
which
helped
revitalize
local
store
fronts.
Over
the
past
year,
our
office
economic
development
completed
21
restore
projects
in
Dorchester,
including
homestead
bakery,
which
is
down
the
street
here,
which
is
a
great
bakery
in
a
spot.
For
years.
We
didn't
know
what
to
do
with,
because
it
was.
B
It
was
on
a
divider
of
Dutch
gravity
and
Adam
Street,
and
no
one
really
knew
what
to
do
with
that
spot.
Well,
like
what
do
we
put
there
and
I
was
a
stay
right
there
for
17
years,
and
we
didn't
know,
and
now
with
some
investment.
It's
changing
the
whole.
The
whole
area
208
washington
street,
in
the
kims
flowers,
citizens
contributions
also
have
helped
us
roll
out
the
new
boston
main
streets
brand
across
20
of
our
main
street
districts.
It's
making
our
messaging
stronger
and
more
consistent
citywide,
something
that's
real
important.
Look
at
them.
B
It's
going
to
help
Bostonians
and
visitors
who
come
to
our
city
know
what's
going
on
in
our
local
establishments,
that
includes
long
term
market
marketing
planning
and
that's
something
that
I
think
is
been
missing
for
a
long
time
in
a
lot
of
your
districts.
How
do
we
get
marketing
planning
to
move
forward?
Some
of
you
get
it
right.
Some
of
you
have
the
support.
Some
of
you
don't
have
the
support.
Some
of
you
need
a
little
extra
help
to
move
forward.
The
new
tagline,
where
the
locals
go
perfectly
sums
up.
B
What
main
streets
is
all
about.
It
reflects
our
diversity
and
it
reflects
the
best
of
what
we
have
to
offer
in
the
city
of
Boston.
So
again,
I
want
to
thank
citizens.
Bank
I
want
to
thank
Boston,
Main
Street
foundation.
I
want
to
thank
all
of
the
main
streets
that
are
here
today
for
your
incredible
work
that
you
do
every
single
day,
because
the
work
that
you
have
we
talked
about
this
a
lot.
B
We
can
bring
all
the
G
east
of
Austin
I'm,
not
saying
they're,
not
important,
because
they're
very
important
to
our
city,
but
the
local
businesses
help
drive
our
economy
helps
honor.
The
diversity
in
our
neighborhoods
helps
bolster
the
unique
identities
of
all
blossoms
can
all
Bostonians
in
our
communities,
and
it
also
sends
a
message
to
Washington.
B
B
And
that's
who
we
are
so
if
they
took
a
page
out
of
our
book
and
focus
on
creating
more
opportunities
and
more
economic
developments
and
more
support
for
small
businesses
and
more
supports
for
hiring
people
and
step
more
time
on
that
and
less
time
on,
some
of
the
other
things
are
talking
about
today.
We
certainly
would
continue
to
be
a
very
strong
in
great
country,
so
I
look
forward
to
continued
working
with
all
of
you.
I'm
excited
to
watch
where
the
locals
go,
grow
and
I
have
what
would
it?
B
What
wouldn't
announcement
be
without
a
citation?
So
I
have
a
little
bit
of
a
citation
certificate
of
recognition,
and
this
certificate
of
recognition
is
presented.
The
Citizens
Bank
in
honor
of
the
generous
donations
to
the
Boston
mainstream
foundation,
the
city
of
Boston,
like
thank
you
for
all
the
work
you
have
done
to
enhance
our
community
and
the
appreciation
of
your
commitment
to
ensuring
that
Boston
main
streets
is
able
to
rebuild
rebrand,
revitalize
and
reinvent
their
organizations.
B
C
Wow,
it
was
definitely
not
expecting
that
Mayor
Walsh,
thank
you
for
being
here
and
for
your
leadership
with
the
main
streets
program.
We
all
its
citizens,
appreciate
your
leadership
and
all
the
great
things
that
you're
doing
in
the
city
to
create
strong,
vibrant
main
streets,
and
certainly
all
of
us
at
citizens
appreciate
the
fact
that
you
coordinated
your
tie
to
our
brand
color
today,
good
kelly,
green
mm-hmm
to
joel
for
your
leadership.
Thank
you.
C
This
has
been
a
long
time
coming
and
I'll
save
my
my
story
about
our
earlier
conversation
for
a
second,
but
we've
had
a
long
partnership
with
Joel
and
which
is
largely
brought
us
here
today.
Kristen
the
team
here
I
know
of
Chris's
charitable
work
across
Boston.
It
is
no
surprise
that
he's
put
his
thumbprint
down
here
as
well,
so
Chris
for
all
that.
You
and
your
team
do
I,
see
you
in
the
back
there
somewhere.
Thank
you
for
having
us
and
for
being
such
a
leader
in
our
community.
C
I
do
want
to
recognize
my
colleague,
Harry
Harrison,
who
also
came
over
from
the
Senate
side
of
the
house,
who
runs
our
work
here.
Our
community
work
for
citizens
she's
been
with
us
a
year,
so
if
you
haven't
had
an
opportunity
to
introduce
yourself
to
wear,
please
take
that
that
opportunity-
all
of
us
as
citizens,
we're
very
proud
supporters
of
the
main
streets
initiatives.
In
fact,
it
was
carried
this
morning
who
reminded
me
that
over
the
course
of
our
partnership
we've
donated
over
four
hundred
and
twenty
thousand
dollars
to
the
main
streets
initiative.
C
A
year
ago,
over
a
year
and
a
half
ago,
we
got
together
with
Joel
and
others
and
said:
listen.
You
know
we're
trying
to
make
a
positive
impact,
we're
trying
to
focusing
on
the
quality
of
what
we
do
in
the
community,
and
we
think
we
could
do
something
really
impactful
and
as
many
occasions
you
know
it's
tempting
to
kind
of
take.
You
know
peanuts
and
kind
of
throw
it
out
everywhere.
C
D
So
welcome
welcome
everybody
to
our
district.
It's
really
nice
to
see
everybody
in
the
room.
I!
Don't
do
this
often
as
often
as
these
gentlemen
to
hear
especially
the
mayor
and
everybody
here
in
the
room,
but
when
I
do
it
I
usually
like
to
start
with
a
personal
story,
so
bear
with
me
for
a
little
bit,
because
this
story
is
directly
related
to
the
importance
of
the
rebranding
for
greater
astronaut
Main
Street.
D
More
than
five
years
ago,
my
partner
decided
to
open
his
business
right
next
door
back
to
life
chiropractic,
and
none
of
us
has
a
history
in
running
small
businesses
so
doing
a
little
Google.
We
found
this
organization
st.
marks
area,
Main
Street,
a
funny
name.
We
didn't
understand
what
it
did
exactly
its
relationship
to
the
church,
not
the
church
I
go
to
st.
Mark's
Church.
We
live
in
that
area,
so
there
was
some
confusion
after
some
guidance
a
few
times.
D
We
kind
of
understood
that
it's
kind
of
separate
when
I
joined
the
organization,
maybe
a
year
and
a
half
later
I
faced
people's
confusion.
When
I
as
a
board
member
used
to
go
out
to
the
community
and
said
what
do
we
do,
and
what's
our
name
and
what's
our
envision,
having
this
very
important
landmark
in
our
neighborhood
being
st.
Mark's
Church?
And
what
are
we?
How
is
our
relationship
with
that
regard?
Needless
to
say,
that
Jen
are
exactly
the
director
keeps
getting
phone
calls.
Are
we
the
church?
Can
we
donate
some
things?
D
So
when
I
was
when
I
came
on
board
as
the
president
of
the
organization,
one
of
the
first
thing
that
we
saw
as
a
board
very
important
to
do
is
to
lead
this
effort
for
rebranding
for
many
aspects,
for
the
confusion
aspect
that
I
talked
about,
but
also
because
the
organization
was
changing
and
the
neighborhood
was
changing
and
we
needed
an
organization
a
brand
and
name
that
reflects
the
diversity,
the
energy,
the
new
face
and
all
the
work
that's
being
done
around
here.
So
those
of
you
who
have
gone
through
this,
it's
something
big.
D
It's
a
massive
effort
and
to
do
it
well,
there's
needs
to
be
fund
and
there's
need
to
be
dedication,
but
at
the
end
of
the
day,
as
a
standing
here
today
in
front
of
all
of
you,
we're
very
proud
of
our
accomplishments,
I
think
we
did
it.
We
did
it
very
well.
So
my
thank
you
first
goes
to
Citizens
Bank,
Foundation
and
Boston
Main
Street
foundation.
For
allowing
this
to
happen.
Thank
you
for
entrusting
us
with
a
large
amount
of
25,000
daughters
and
thank
you
for
supporting
organization
like
us
in
the
community.
D
Thank
you,
boss
and
Main
Street
for
your
support
throughout
the
process
and
helping
us
with
additional
professional
services
beyond
the
grand
fund
for
design
and
signage
work.
Our
new
design
made
us
eligible
for
logo
design
work
under
the
bmf
ta
program,
a
restore
signage
rank
from
BMS
for
our
new
blade
sign
and
the
pro
bono
hours
from
CTP.
Further,
the
rebranding
was
an
opportunity
to
commission
a
fully
detailed,
professed
professional
mixed
reports,
study
of
the
neighborhood
through
a
fellow
from
the
Graduate
School
of
Design
at
Harvard.
D
The
report
is
right
behind
on
the
table
and
you
can
see
all
the
different
branding
elements
that
help
us
propel
this
brand
into
the
neighborhood.
We
also
got
a
website
redesign,
radio,
ashmont
ministry,
org
social
media
brand
launched
and
the
procurement
of
public
visibility
item
like
those
ones
that
you
see
behind
that
I
want
to
thank
my
fellow
board
members
who
were
for
their
dedication
and
perseverance
throughout
I,
see
some
of
them
here
in
the
room.
If
your
board
member,
please
raise
your
hand
right.
D
Thank
you
guys.
Thank
you
guys,
because,
because
of
your
hard
work
and
dedication,
when
it
was
time
to
make
a
decision,
we
reach
a
decision
with
consensus,
there
was
no
need
for
voting.
Everybody
was
on
board.
Everybody
was
happy
with
the
product
Thank
You
Lindsay,
Hill
design,
who
is
here
with
the
staff
members.
Thank
you
for.
D
For
the
outstanding
service
that
you
did
and
for
understanding
who
we
want
it
to
be
as
an
organization,
our
brand
is
beautiful,
it's
powerful
its
effective
and
it's
representative
of
who
we
are
so.
Thank
you.
Thank
you
lost
arity,
the
event
planning
firm
that
worked
very
hard
for
our
brand
launched
last
spring
for
our
main
gala.
Thank
you
very
much.
It
was
a
memorable
event
and
very
financially
successful,
launch
Thank
You
Jen
party,
our
executive
director.
D
Gen
without
your
work
and
guidance,
we
actually
would
not
be
here
today.
Jen
led
this
initiative
send
sensitively
it's
a
complex
effort
and
she
led
it
in
a
very
remarkable
way.
The
rebranding
effort
was
a
priority
and
she
was
dedicated
to
make
it
a
successful
process
and
outcome
and
we
did
it
and
she
did
it.
So.
Thank
you
very
much.
Jen
organized
the
right
amount
of
meetings
so
to
not
exclude
anybody.
She
plans
eloquently
the
phasing
out
of
the
old
brand.
D
D
It
was
a
successful
effort
because
of
the
generous
gift
of
citizens
bank.
We
love
our
new
brand.
We
love
our
new
logo
and
we
love
our
refreshed
image
in
the
community.
We
put
it
on
t-shirts,
water
bottles,
everywhere,
stickers,
glass,
everything
we
love
it,
so
we
are
eternally
grateful
for
that.
So
thank
you
very
much.
I
want
to
thank
chris
douglas
for
hosting
us
tonight
and
for
your
work
in
the
community.
D
I
think
none
of
the
people
who
spoke
before
me
has
said
they've
said
enough
and
more
than
I
mean
everything
that
I
wanted
to
say
as
well.
My
life
thank
you
goes
to
Mayor
Walsh.
Thank
you
for
you
and
your
staff,
and
for
your
continuous
commitment
to
support
Boston's
communities
and
for
empowering
organization
like
us.
Thank
you
greater
ashmont,
and
we
did
it.
Thank
you.
D
A
Thank
you,
everyone
for
coming.
You
see
one
great
example
here
in
greater
ashmont
of
the
work
that
was
done
with
the
challenge
grant,
but
there
are
four
other
districts
who
have
also
done
phenomenal
work
with
their
challenge,
grants
that
we're
going
to
keep
working
to
put
all
that
information
out,
and
let
everybody
see
all
this
amazing
updating
your
matrix.
So
thank
you
and
have
a
great
last
year
day.