Sailors Pond, Merrymount bridge updates
Felicitations, friends!
Some of what I’ve been up to the past week:
Another wonderful resident council meeting!
Folks from across the city gathered at the main library last weekend to work on issues they care about. We did a round of introductions, then broke into groups to discuss civil liberties, housing, and mobility. The breadth and depth of knowledge in that room was impressive and the atmosphere open and friendly. The idea is that resident councilors will research issues they care about, come up with proposals, and then present them publicly to the city council. Fill out this form to get invitations to the online discussion platform and future in-person meetings. Residents of any ward are welcome to participate!
Modular housing
I toured a triple decker in Cambridge that was assembled from six large, nearly complete sections that had been delivered from a factory in Maine. It took just two days to connect, or “stack,” the sections, and another few weeks to make the building move-in ready (with appliances, cladding, and a final coat of paint). The idea is that modular housing could reduce construction costs by allowing a selection of designs that meet local codes to be built in pieces inside warehouses and then connected like Lego bricks on site. And indeed, a representative from the Cambridge Housing Authority told me that traditional construction methods cost about $500/square foot, while this builder said their modular process costs just $300/square foot. Walking through the building, I could not tell that it had been built from sections, and I loved that it was also extremely energy efficient. I’m curious to find out whether this kind of construction is used in Quincy, especially for medium-sized buildings like the one in Cambridge, and whether it could help create more affordable housing here.
This brown, three-story building in Cambridge was delivered in six nearly complete pieces that were “stacked” and connected on site
The column near the center of the image (by the kitchen sink) lies on the border of two modular sections that were connected to create each floor of this three-story building
Sailors Home Pond update
On Wednesday, the City’s environmental scientist, Heather Lis, attended the Conservation Commission meeting and presented a plan for a small deck to be built at the corner of Wendell and Rice Roads, overlooking Sailors Home Pond. That corner had been cleared of trees to allow access for the equipment needed to dredge the pond (work that was completed in November). In recent months, the department of natural resources thought it would be nice to build a 10 x 15-foot, wheelchair-accessible deck there at the level of the sidewalk, using the existing budget for “upland restoration” at the site.
Ms. Lis said the deck would be made of water-, insect-, and rot-resistant wood, so it would not need to be chemically treated, and would feature guardrails and a bench. It would be a “deck, not a dock,” coming no closer than 7 feet from the edge of the pond, so that anyone who wanted to walk around the pond at ground level could still do so. Neighbors note that the helical piles for the dock have already been delivered, and a wooden post-and-rail fence has replaced the old, rust-prone chain-link barrier.
Ms. Lis said that there will be a public event to return the pond’s turtles, who have been housed at the New England Wildlife Center during the recent dredging and construction, on May 16 (details below).
Existing (left) and future (right) designs for the corner of Wendell Avenue and Rice Road. The new deck is highlighted in yellow.
Merrymount Parkway work
Approximate area of the new work (Image: Google Maps)
At the same meeting, representatives from the firm Tighe & Bond outlined their plans, at the City’s behest, to:
Replace the Merrymount Parkway bridge over Blacks Creek (near the intersection of Furnace Brook Parkway);
Improve pedestrian and bike access on and around the new bridge;
Improve the intersection of Furnace Brook and Merrymount Parkways with signage and new signals.
The new bridge will have a single large culvert through which Blacks Creek will flow (Illustration: Tighe & Bond)
Bridge: Currently, there are 10-foot-wide openings, or culverts, beneath the bridge, but the new bridge will have a single 54-foot-wide opening. The roadway on and around the bridge will also be raised by two feet, and both changes will allow for more water flow beneath the bridge, reducing flooding. During bridge construction, which should last three to four weeks, only one lane will be open to traffic.
Mobility: Five-foot bike lanes and sidewalks will be added on each side of the road.
Trees: Eighteen trees will be removed for the work and 33 trees planted.
Construction will start after the project completes the permitting process, which will probably take the rest of this calendar year.
Upcoming events and reminders
Coming weeks: Fill out and mail back your city census!
Before May 8: Sign up for weekly food waste pickup through Black Earth and get 20% off your first invoice using the code “EARTHDAY2026”. Getting food out of the trash not only helps the environment but also reduces rat populations by removing one of their main food sources!
April 4 – 10: Sewer and drain work planned
Monday, April 6, 10 am @ basement, 550 Hancock: Dance performance hosted by Asian American Service Association
Monday, April 6: City council meeting (agenda here):
6:30 pm: Oversight committee meeting about a lease for solar panels for the new Squantum School
6:45 pm: Joint meeting of ordinance and public works committees to discuss administration’s proposed changes to stormwater rules and penalties for dumping
7:30 pm: Main council meeting
Open forum
Consideration of $325,000 appropriation of community preservation funding to paint/repair Quincy Homestead
Approval of voting locations and times for 2026 state election (primary is Sept. 1!)
Resolution seeking to understand any changes implemented since the discovery of embezzlement by the City’s former head of elder services (put forward by Councilor Riley)
Resolution requesting comprehensive report of City’s property transactions since 2010 (put forward by yours truly)
Approval of $3,250 in donations to DARE program
Tuesday, April 7, 5:30 pm @ Main library, lowest level community room (40 Washington): Celebrate Earth Month and learn about local eco-action. Network with volunteer led environmental organizations and hear from various city departments and partners on sustainable practices for public and private properties. Free.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, April 7, 8, and 9, 6 – 9 pm: Online first-time home buyer course, hosted by Quincy’s Office of Healthy Homes and QCAP. The City of Quincy Office of Healthy Homes offers $40,000 in first-time home buyer down payment assistance for qualified applicants. Applicants must first complete the three-session course. The first five individuals to RSVP at the email below will get the course for free! Info and RSVP: rgorham@quincyma.gov.
Thursday, April 9, 12 – 2 pm @ Houghs Neck Community Center (1193 Sea Street): Open house with games, light refreshments.
Thursday, April 9, 4 pm @ Houghs Neck Community Center (1193 Sea Street): Celebration of the HN Community Council and Manet Health. RSVP required to rgorham@quincyma.gov.
Friday, April 10, 10 am – 12 pm @ Kennedy Center (440 East Squantum): Info table on City’s Aging in Place grant program.
Saturday, April 11, 9 am – 12 pm @ Kennedy Center (440 East Squantum): Lions Club free vision screening van, no appointment needed. Feel free to bring any unused eyeglasses to donate. Call 617.639.6372 for more information.
Monday, April 27: City council meeting. Details TBD.
Thursday, April 30, 5 pm: Deadline to send comments about National Grid’s proposed rate hike to state oversight agency. Email dpu.efiling@mass.gov and DPU2650.GridRateCase@mass.gov. Comments, including email addresses, will be posted unredacted.
Thursday, April 30, 6 pm: Next in-person resident council meeting. Fill out this form for details.
Monday, May 4: City council meeting. Details TBD.
Wednesday, May 6, 6 – 8 pm @ Alba (1486 Hancock): “Multilingual Rent Control Informational meeting to discuss how proposed policies may impact our local residents, businesses, and community,” hosted by the Quincy Chamber of Commerce and Housing for Massachusetts. RSVP required, limited to 80 attendees.
Saturday, May 16, 8:30 – 10:30 am @ Sailors Home Pond (78 Rice Road): Turtle release! 🐢
Resources and ways to plug in
Anyone interested in serving as a volunteer on a city board or commission can send a note with your interest and background to the mayor’s chief of staff, Chris Walker, at cwalker@quincyma.gov. Please cc me at mmckee@quincyma.gov if you’d like me to follow up on your application.
To receive future newsletters by email, please sign up here.
To sign up for a resident council, fill out this form.
To learn about local organizations you can join and volunteer with, go here (and feel free to add any that are missing!).
Report a pothole: Call 617-376-1914 or email potholehotline@quincyma.gov.
Report streetlight outages: Call 617-376-1478.
The City’s Department of Elder Services offers FREE transportation to medical appointments for Quincy adults aged 60 and over. Call 617-376-1242 to register and schedule rides.
Free legal help: Lawyers Clearinghouse offers three legal clinics to help connect people with free legal help: (1) low-income and homeless clinic (they take a variety of cases but not immigration or family law); (2) record sealing and expungement (since people's records often keep them out of jobs and housing); (3) tax lien foreclosure (for people who are facing foreclosure by the city because they haven't paid their property taxes). If you or anyone you know could use their help, please contact Sean Thekkeparayil (sthekkeparayil@lawyersclearinghouse.org).
If you see federal agents in Quincy, please stay a safe distance away and call LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts with as much information as you can so they can verify the sightings: (617) 370-5023.
Before May 8: Sign up for weekly food waste pickup through Black Earth and get 20% off your first invoice using the code “EARTHDAY2026”. Getting food out of the trash not only helps the environment but also reduces rat populations by removing one of their main food sources!
