Outdoor Dining Extended, Boston Police Task Force Recommendations, Resiliency Fund Update & More

EXTENSION OF OUTDOOR DINING

• The Mayor announced an extension of the Outdoor Dining Program beyond its original end date of October 31. Restaurants using private outdoor space can continue to do so for the duration of the public health emergency. And restaurants using public space on streets and sidewalks can continue until December 1.

• The City will also waive application fees for the use of outdoor propane heaters in dining areas. Restaurants will still need a permit from the Fire Department, and safety regulations around their use will remain in place. Restaurants can use electric heaters without a permit, as long as no cords are crossing sidewalks.

POLICE REFORM TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS

The Boston Police Reform Task Force has completed its initial, draft recommendations to bring lasting, systemic change to the Boston Police Department (BPD), and enhance enforceability, accountability, trust, and transparency, improving the relationship between the BPD and the Boston community that it serves and protects. The recommendations are translated into five languages, and the full report is available here. There is a two-week public comment period before the final recommendations are submitted to Mayor Walsh.

The Task Force is encouraging the public to review the recommendations and provide feedback within this timeframe. There will also be a public listening session on Tuesday, September 22 at 4 pm where residents can give spoken feedback in any language.

Written feedback will be accepted until Friday, September 25, in any language. Learn more: bit.ly/BPDreform.

BOSTON RESILIENCY FUND UPDATE

• In the past month, the Boston Resiliency Fund has provided new grants totaling over half a million dollars, to 25 local organizations. 

• Since launching the Fund, the City has invested more than $26 million to meet the vital needs of our residents. About half of those funds have gone to feed children, families, and seniors. 

• The City is launching a new partnership this week to expand food access in Boston’s immigrant communities. Fair Foods is a local nonprofit that gets nutritious food and produce to families who need it.

• Using a Resiliency Fund grant, Fair Foods will partner with over a dozen grassroots organizations that serve immigrant communities---where many do not qualify for state or federal assistance. They’ll provide fresh produce and food vouchers to families in need, regardless of their immigration status. 

• Fair Foods sites have been added to the City’s food resources map at boston.gov/FoodResourcesMap. 

 

RFP ANNOUNCED FOR SMALL BUSINESS TECH PROGRAMS

The City of Boston has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) inviting proposals from small business technical assistance entities to provide technical assistance to small businesses in the City of Boston.  The RFP is designed to expand economic and entrepreneurial opportunity throughout the city, and support a safe and equitable economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Completed proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis each month, beginning on September 30, 2020 and ending Friday, January 31, 2023, and can be submitted electronically via the Supplier Portal. Changes to the upcoming Technical Assistance RFP round include: Providers may submit bid contracts for a period up to three years, an increase from the previous 18-month period, providing greater consistency for TA Providers; TA provider applications will be open on a rolling, monthly basis, allowing the City to respond to evolving needs of our small businesses; Inclusion of a request for providers that can support certification of minority and women-owned businesses (MWBEs). Prospective TA providers are encouraged to participate in an upcoming information session to address questions relative to the content of the RFP. A session will be offered virtually on Zoom on Tuesday, September 21 from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Links to these sessions on the Office of Economic Development Facebook page.  Every month, on the first business day of the month, applications will be downloaded from the City of Boston Supplier Portal website for review. The RFP will appear live again the next day for the following month. In order to participate in these online procurement activities, bidders must register with the Supplier Portal. COVID-19 CASES The City of Boston has 16,430 positive cases of coronavirus. So far, 13,045 of these 16,430 residents have fully recovered. Unfortunately, there have been 759 COVID-19 related deaths in Boston.  The City posts race and ethnicity data for deaths, as well as for confirmed cases here. The Boston Public Health Commission will be providing the updated total of cases in Boston residents as it is received from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Information can be found at boston.gov/coronavirus or bphc.org. Massachusetts has 124,139 positive cases of coronavirus and 9,051 deaths reported at this time.