Monthly Archives: September 2020

To serve customers safely during the Covid-19 pandemic, Brookline’s Age Friendly businesses have adopted special measures that protect both customers and employees. These safety measures benefit people regardless of age. BrooklineCAN is highlighting a few of these businesses that are helping us get through these trying times. Our most recent project spotlights Eureka! Puzzles on Beacon Street and Maruichi Food and Deli on Harvard Street. Click here: https://www.brooklinecan.org/age_friendly_business.html

The Brookline Senior Center has opened up shop on Etsy—a global online marketplace for vintage, handmade, custom and unique items—under the name BROOKLINE BAZAAR. This showcases a diverse collection of antique and vintage treasures and collectibles from around the globe. New items are added weekly. 100% of Brookline Bazaar proceeds go to support the Brookline Senior Center, so you can find that perfect gift or treat yourself for a cause! Click the following link to take a look around the shop: www.etsy.com/shop/brooklinebazaar

Do you have a unique or one-of-a-kind vintage item or collectible that you would like to donate to BROOKLINE BAZAAR? If so, please contact jmilleygee@brooklinema.gov for more information.

The guest on the 28th Age Friendly Cities TV show was BrooklineCAN’ s own webmaster John Seay. John is also in charge of graphics for AFC-TV. Before retiring John provided technical support for large customers of IBM and Lotus Development Corporation.

A key factor in the lives of isolated older adults is the use of technology that is
essential to dealing with isolation. Pre-COVID-19 John assisted older adults at Center Communities of Brookline effectively use their phones, laptops, and tablets.

Programs are aired on Channel 3 on Comcast and RCN immediately following The Grandstanders live sports analysis show and are available on DVDs at the Senior Center, the library in Brookline Village, the BrooklineCAN web site and the BrooklineCAN Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Help Brookline develop an Urban Forest Climate Resiliency Master Plan by taking this survey  https://www.brooklinema.gov/1529/Parks-and-Open-Space-Division-of-DPW by October 31st. Scroll down to the section:  “Help guide our efforts to develop an Urban Forest Climate Resiliency Master Plan and click on “Take the Survey”.

This plan is intended to position the Town to prepare for and protect against the impacts of climate change on the urban forest, and in turn prepare for and mitigate impacts to the community and environment overall. An “Urban Forest” consists of all the trees that populate a town or city – including park trees, street trees, even the trees in your front yard. The intention of this survey is to allow the project team to hear directly from the residents of Brookline, and determine community priorities and goals regarding the urban forest. Take 5 minutes to complete this 10-question survey and share your insights.

On November 3^rd we have an important election.  Here are some things you should check.

Registration: Are you registered to vote? Check the Secretary of State’s website https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx If you are not registered, you can apply for a registration form online if you have a Mass. Driver’s License or a State ID at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/ . You can also visit the Town Clerk’s office (333 Washington St.) and register in person. The last day to register is October 24, 2020.

Vote by Mail:  If you have not applied for a mail ballot for all of 2020, you will receive a vote by mail application from the Secretary of State. Fill it out and mail it in the envelope provided to the Town Clerk’s office or put it in the drop box at the Town Hall. The deadline to request a vote by mail application is Wednesday, October 28 at 5 pm. Once you receive your ballot, fill it out. Place it in the envelope provided and mail to the Town Clerk’s office or put it in the drop box at the Town Hall.

Early Voting: Voting in person is available from October 17 thru October 30 at the Town Hall. For exact hours see https://www.brooklinema.gov/1761/Early-Voting .

Voting In-Person: Polls will be open from 7 am until 8 pm on election day November 3 Some polling places have changed due to COVID-19. To check where you vote see https://www.brooklinema.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10938/POLLING-PLACES .

Ballot Questions:
Question 1 Motor Vehicle Mechanical Data – Here is the link to information provided by the Secretary of State https://www.brooklinecan.org/documents/2020_ballot_question_1.pdf 
Question 2 Rank-Choice Voting – Here is the link to information provided by the Secretary of State https://www.brooklinecan.org/documents/2020_ballot_question_2.pdf
Question 3  Purchase approximately 3.13 acres of land at the former Newbury College campus on the west side of Fisher Avenue for general municipal purposes, including all costs incidental and related thereto? For more information see http://www.yesforbrookline.com.
Question 4 (This question is not binding)
Shall the representative for this district be instructed to vote in favor of legislation that would require Massachusetts to achieve 100% renewable energy use within the next two decades, starting immediately and making significant progress within the first five years while protecting impacted workers and business?
Question 5 (This question is not binding & only on the ballot in Precincts 1-13)
Shall the representative for this district be instructed to vote in favor of changes to the applicable House of Representative rules to make the results of all the votes in that body’s Legislative committees publicly available on the Legislature’s website?

Brookline Open Studios & Marketplace  https://www.brooklineopenstudios.com/ is going virtual!   In this virtual setting, explore a number of works from over 70 artists throughout the entire year. Additional event features include live virtual artist talks, demonstrations and studio tours, opportunities to purchase art and more.  This event is free for the public to attend and will be accessible through the website beginning October 1, 2020.

Since 2011 the BrooklineCAN Communications Committee has been publishing the monthly newsletter.  We have gained 9 years of experience but are also 9 years older.  It is time for some of us to pass on our knowledge of how we get the newsletter ready for both print and to email.

What we need is someone who feels at home using WordPress and knows enough HTML to edit the final copy.  Currently we use Dreamweaver to do the final editing of the newsletter.  But whatever you are familiar with may work.

If you are interested, please contact Carol at  carol.b.caro@gmail.com or call for more information at 617-739-9228.

Safe packaging is important.  Part of safety is ease of opening.  Hannah Boulton, RN, is working on ways to get retailers and manufacturers to use packaging that older people can open easily. If opening packages has been a challenge for you, please take her short survey. Here’s the link:  https://www. surveymonkey.com/r/ OpenezSeniors.

If you want more information visit Hannah’s website: https://open-ez.com/  She has a recent publication  in Packaging  Digest: https://www.packagingdigest.com/packaging-design/perilous-pitfalls-poor-packaging or if you have questions or stories about your experiences email Hannah at: hrwboulton@msn.com

Brookline Public Library is now providing free access to Udemy! It can help you  learn and improve skills across business, tech, design, and personal interests. You can connect to 4,000+ on-demand video courses taught by world-class instructors. Courses cover the freshest and most relevant content on leadership and management, coding, design, marketing, IT operations, data science, project management, human resources, sales, accounting and finance, and productivity.

Please note, to access this resource you will need either  a Google or Microsoft email account. These can be set up for free. If you need help creating an account don’t hesitate to use the library’s LibChat, call at 617-730-2370, or send your question. Get started by visiting brklib.com/udemy.

New housing for seniors is coming to Brookline. A virtual forum sponsored by BrooklineCAN on September 10 at 6 pm will look at the new housing developments for seniors that are in the works in Brookline. Jennifer Molinsky of the Harvard University Joint Center on Housing will provide the context by speaking on “Housing America’s Older Adults.”

The panel will include:
  – Mike Jacobs, chair of the Brookline Housing Authority speaking about plans for replacement and expansion of the Col. Floyd development.

 – Rhonda Glyman of Center Communities will speak about Hebrew Senior Life’s plans for a new residential building on Centre Street.

– Cheryl Fever and Michael Schonbrun will speak about the Welltower/Balfour  senior living community planned for the Newbury College site on Fisher Hill.

– Cindy Katzeff  and Amy Schectman of 2Life will speak about both the Brown Family House on Harvard Street that is currently under construction and plans for an affordable senior housing development on the site of the Kent-Station Street parking lot.

The forum is being produced in conjunction with the Brookline Interactive Group (BIG) and will be conducted on the Zoom platform. To watch the webinar go to: https://brooklineinteractive-org.zoom.us/j/99631815251 .  To listen on a telephone, go to: +1 929 436 2866  or +1 301 715 8592. The Webinar ID is
996 3181 5251

The forum also will be available for viewing on Brookline Access Television. In addition the forum will be available at a later date on YouTube through a link on the BrooklineCAN website (BrooklineCAN.org).