Download TCC 2010-09-09 Minutes

Thursday, September 9th, 2010
9:30 AM, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, 4th Floor

Attendance: Alex Zhang, Beverly Wing, Chutze Chou, Cindy Zhang, Dennis Lui, Enoch Liao, Janelle Chan, John Connolly, Kate Chang, Lisette Le, Nancy Eng, Pamela Lee, Sherry Dong, So Yee, Vicky Guo, Yan Zhong

I. Refreshments, Welcome, and Introductions

II. Bilingual Ballot Update, Lisette Le, Chinese Progressive Association

Bilingual ballot is effective on January 1, 2011 in Vietnamese and Chinese in the City of Boston until 2013. This will not affect the September / November elections this year. Supporting organizations will examine if Quincy will be federally mandated for bilingual ballots as a result of 2010 Census.

III. City Councilor John Connolly

-Has been on the city council for 2 ½ years with a background of being a 6th grade teacher. He is seeking to develop the city’s educational system to be a program that challenges every child from the full spectrum.

-Councilor Connolly is hosting a public hearing on the teachers’ union contract on September 28th at the City Council Chambers at City Hall starting at 1:30 PM and hopes to run the forum for 7-8 hours in order to give access to anyone to voice their opinion on how to change the schools for the better. He is seeking people to testify at the hearing as an individual or as a member of an organization. He can be contacted at john.r.connolly@cityofboston.org or (617) 635-3115.

-Councilor Connolly is seeking support for an environmental sciences academy to prepare students for careers in green sectors. He is seeking for such a facility to be LEED certified with vocational/technical components for students to be ready for positions by learning practical skills. $20,000 has been budgeted in the coming year for examining such a proposal.

-Councilor Connolly has expressed that he is unhappy with the amount of funds from Race to the Top, but happy that it was rewarded and that the present question is how to allocate the funding.

-He stated in pertinence to bilingual students that their “language is a strength that we must nurture.” However, to do so, it would require the recruitment of teachers that are up to that task.

-He is a member of the Environment and Health Committee and the Weighs and Means committee. He is looking for ways to remove the stigma of technical and vocational education, for people to view it as a career path.

IV. Parcel 24 Update, Janelle Chan and Alex Zhang, Asian Community Development Corporation

Parcel 24 has been revised, formerly 325 units and revised to 345 units. The affordable housing component has changed to an allocation of 95 units of affordable rental and 50 units of affordable home ownership. 20% of the rental units are to be at or under 30% area median income (AMI), the rest at or under 60% AMI. The units of affordable home ownership are to be ~80% AMI. $2.5M of funding for the home ownership component has already been locked in via linkage from the W Hotel. The affordable units are to average 2-bedrooms in size for both the condos and rental units.

-Parcel 24 is seeking support presently on its project, submitting to DHCD on September 16th. Support letters can be sent to janelle.chan@asiancdc.org.

V. Announcements, Updates, and Kaffeeklatsch
Preview of next meeting’s topics

-Immigration forum to be held, presented by Samuel Tsoi from the MIRA Coalition

-The MIRA Coalition is holding the National Immigrant Integration Conference at the Westin Hotel on September 29th to October 1st. It features sessions throughout the Thursday and Friday. More information can be found at www.integrationconference.org. For questions, contact Sam Tsoi at stsoi@miracoalition.org.

-The Chinese Historical Society of New England is hosting their Eightieth Annual Meeting and Dinner on Friday, September 24th at 6:00 PM at China Pearl Restaurant at 9 Tyler Street. For information and ticket reservations, contact CHSNE at (617) 338-4339 or email info@chsne.org. In addition, on Friday, October 1 at 11:00 AM at the Chinese Progressive Association (1 Nassau Street), CHSNE is hosting a book talk and slide show on the book Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America by Erika Lee and Judy Yung.

-The Chinatown Coalition has a position open for a Project Coordinator that submissions are due on September 24th. Job description is available at the TCC web site.

Next Meeting: Thursday, October 14th, 9:30 AM @ BCNC 4th floor Conference Room