Town Of Dedham: What's Happening This Week Here In Dedham

Press release from the Town of Dedham:

06/01/2021 5:10 PM

Dedham Celebrates Pride Month

Human Rights Commission, Select Board, elected officials, and members of the community welcome everyone to attend the Pride Flag Raising at Town Hall on June 1 at 7:00 p.m.

The Dedham Human Rights Commission, in collaboration with The Town of Dedham, is pleased to announce the first annual Dedham LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration at Dedham Town Hall, 450 Washington Street in Dedham, on Tuesday, June 1 at 7 p.m. All are welcome to this outdoor event.

Dedham’s LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration will include brief speeches by State Representative Paul McMurtry and a member of Dedham’s Select Board, a blessing offered jointly by Reverend Rali Weaver of First Church of Dedham, Father Chitral DeMel of The Church of the Good Shepherd, Reverend Cheryl Kerr of Allin Congregational Church, and Father Stephen Josoma of St. Susanna’s Church, and reflections on the personal meaning of Pride by members of Dedham’s local LGBTQ+ community.

The Celebration will conclude with the raising of the LGBTQ+ Pride Flag in front of Town Hall, where it will hang for the month of June. To learn more about the event and how Dedham plans to celebrate Pride Month, visit our website: Dedham Celebrates Pride Month

Parking Meters Go Live Along Court Street and High Street

The rollout of new parking technology in Dedham Square begins this week at public parking spaces along High and Court Streets, west of Washington Street.

Town Meeting voted on Monday, May 17, to accept the State law that enables Town staff to mail parking tickets generated by the MPS meters. The Town will not begin issuing parking tickets using the meters until Monday, June 7.

The meters monitor spaces between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and can measure usage, accept payment, and provide reports to Town staff when drivers fail to pay or stay longer than the posted 2-hour limit.

Unlike traditional parking meters, which require payment up front, one can pay these parking meters at any time during the parking session. This convenience factor means nobody should receive a parking ticket unless they fail to pay for usage before they vacate the spot.

Parking costs 25 cents for each 15-minute increment. Citations for failure to pay or underpayment are $15.

To learn more about the parking meters in the area, visit our website: Parking Meters Go Live Along Court Street and High Street

Neponset River Regional Chamber Hosts Local "Restaurant Week"

The Neponset River Regional Chamber of Commerce has recently been awarded a grant from the Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD) and is using a portion of this funding to sponsor a Regional Restaurant Week!

From Monday June 7 through Friday June 11, local restaurants can participate in this celebration of supporting local businesses by offering a pre-fixe menu (lunch or dinner) to guests, both for take-out and dine-in. Community neighbors including Canton, Norwood, and Westwood will also be participating in this event to highlight local restaurants and the options for dining right in our own neighborhoods! A dedicated webpage will be set up by the Neponset River Regional Chamber of Commerce to showcase the participating restaurants, in addition to social media marketing opportunities. If you would like to participate in Restaurant Week, the Neponset River Regional Chamber at 781-769-1126 or tom@nrrchamber.com. Visit our website to learn more: NRRC to Sponsor Regional Restaurant Week

#EatLocalDedhamMA

Town Hall and Town Offices Reopen to Full Capacity

Town Hall and other Town offices will reopen to the public on Tuesday, June 1st, aligning with the recent update by Governor Charlie Baker to rescind the mask mandate and follow updated Covid-19 restrictions.

Summer hours went into effect on May 28 and offices will be closed on Friday, June 18th in observance of Juneteenth. 

As of Tuesday, June 1, Town Buildings have reopened to full capacity and in-person services are available without an appointment.

Town offices were closed on Monday, May 31 in observance of Memorial Day. As of today, the Town of Dedham will follow the Massachusetts Governor’s Order released on Monday, May 17 to rescind the mask mandate and lift other Covid-19 restrictions currently in place. Listed below are the updated Covid-19 protocols in place in Town offices and buildings, as of June 1:

• Appointments are no longer required to enter Town Hall to conduct business
• All Town buildings will be open to the public during normal business hours and both entrances to Town Hall will be open
• Masks are no longer required for fully vaccinated individuals
• Non-vaccinated individuals are advised to continue wearing face masks and to continue to practice social distancing within Town buildings of at least 6 feet
• Capacity in Town buildings will increase to 100% and there will be no limit on gathering sizes

Please contact the Town Manager's Office at 781-751-9100 if you have any questions.

Town Hall Summer Hours went into effect on Friday, May 28, and will remain in effect through Friday, September 3. Town Hall will close at 1:00 p.m. on Fridays and will be closed on Friday, June 18 in observance of Juneteenth.

To review business hours by department and Town holidays, please visit our website: Town Department Hours

Board & Committee Vacancies, Appointed by Moderator

Town Moderator, Dan Driscoll, has announced the following vacancies on Town Boards & Committees:

• Finance and Warrant Committee - Four (4) Vacancies
• Capital Expenditures Committee -One (1) Vacancy
• Bylaw Review Committee - One (1) Vacancy

To learn more about each of the volunteer opportunities, please visit the Board & Committee Vacancies page on our website, also linked above for each vacancy announcement.

Construction & Roadwork Around Town

On-Going Roadwork; Expect Delays

• Rustcraft Road
• Bridge St. and Ames St. Reconstruction:
  • Contact Graham Johnson of Northern Construction at gjohnson@northernconstruction.com with questions or concerns
• Eastern Ave from Whiting Ave to Rte. 1
• Pine Street
• Schiller Road

Utilities

Eversource crews will be working on the following roadways and may cause delays:

• Lincoln Street, Adams Street, Elmwood Ave, Eastern Ave, and Court Street 

Annual Roads Program

• Schedule pending for Fresno Rd., Greensboro Rd., Preston St., Lamoine St., Lower East St., River St., and Stoughton Rd.
• If a resident would like a tree planted in their front yard, please contact Jflanagan@dedham-ma.gov and we will meet and discuss the proper species for the location

For detailed information about the roadwork, please visit the DPW Road Construction Update page.

If you have questions on these projects, please contact the DPW at 781-751-9350 or Jflanagan@dedham-ma.gov

Public Safety Building Project

Crews will begin the placement of interior footings, piers, and walls this week and will continue to work on the shear walls for stairwell #1.

For more information and to sign up for weekly construction updates, visit the Public Safety Building Project page.

Trash Delayed this Week

Following Memorial Day on Monday, May 31, all trash and recycling services will be delayed by one day this week. For example, if your trash is picked up on Thursday, this week your trash will be picked up by Waste Management on Friday. For more information about Trash & Recycling here in Dedham, visit the DPW Recycling & Trash website.

Public Meetings This Week

Tuesday, 6/1/21:

• Community Event - Dedham Celebrates Pride Monthat 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, 6/2/21:

• Active Transportation Working Group at 4:00 p.m.
• Design Review Advisory Board at 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, 6/3/21:

• Select Board at 6:30 p.m.

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up to receive news, updates, and other announcements, delivered right to your inbox from the Town of Dedham on our website. The best part is, you can select the topics you are interested in and update this information at any time!

FOLLOW US!

Departments across Town have set up social media accounts to share information, as well as post about exciting news around Town. Visit our Social Media page to find the accounts you want to follow!

Weekly Update PDF

This press release was produced by the Town of Dedham. The views expressed here are the author’s own.