Christenson's Ward 1, city update

MATV's Annual Open House will take place on Saturday, May 8th beginning at 1 pm. For more information, please visit www.matv.org.

The American Red Cross Blood Drive will take place on Monday, May 10th from 2:30-7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph's Church, 790 Salem Street. There will be a free Red Sox T-shirt for all donors.

The Malden School Committee will meet on Monday, May 10th and May 17th beginning at 6 pm in the Council Chamber, City Hall, Third Floor.

There will be a Yard Sale to benefit the Salemwood School on Saturday, May 15th from 9-2 pm. The event will take place on the school grounds and in case of rain, the event will be moved indoors in Cafeteria D.

School Committee Member Kevin Duffy is leading a number of Malden-based groups to team up with WalkBoston to create A WalkMalden Kickoff to celebrate the release of Malden’s Walking Map. Walkers will gather on the Patio at Anthony’s of Malden, 105 Canal Street that overlooks the re-emergence of the Malden River and learn about the river’s history. The walk will commence down Canal Street to the Medford Street Bridge and cross over to River’s Edge Drive. The event will take place on Saturday, May 15, 2010 with the gathering taking place at 9 a.m. and the actual walk starting at 10:00 a.m. For more information, please contact Kevin at 781-333-5447 or kevin@kevinduffy.org.

There will be a "Fight the Beast" Melanoma Fundraiser on Friday, May 21st beginning at 7 pm at Anthony's, 105 Canal Street. A comedy night featuring Dave Russo, Paul Gilligan, and Paul D'Angelo plus silent auctions will help raise funds for melanoma care and research. Tickets are $45 which includes a buffet. For more information, please contact Stacy Mancaniello at 781-322-1297 or justsassy@comcast.net.

There will be trail cleanup on Saturday, May 22nd from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. between Madeline English School in Everett and Medford Street in Malden. For more information about this event, please contact Brad Arndt at brad@groundworksomerville.org or 617-455-1127.

The Agave Mexican Grill, 270 Medford Street will have their ribboncutting ceremony on May 24th at 6 pm. Mayor Howard will be on hand to lead the ceremony. Also, as part of the evening, the restaurant is going to be giving away a trip to Mexico.

MATV's Annual Fundraiser "Dana Rosenblatt Fight Night" will take place on Wednesday, May 26th at Anthony's beginning at 6 p.m. For more information, please visit www.matv.org.

There will be a Larry Gilligan Benefit Night on Friday, May 28th at the Malden Moose, 562 Broadway from 7-11 pm. Tickets are $30 and all proceeds will be used to help Larry Gilligan who was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) five years ago. Larry grew up in the Edgeworth section of Malden, attended Beebe Junior High School and Malden High School, and has dedicated his life to teaching. Malden's own Dave Russo and Paul Gilligan will be on hand. For more information, please e-mail friendsoflarryg@aol.com.

Malden's Annual Memorial Day Parade will take place on Monday, May 31st beginning at 10:00 a.m. (rain or shine). The parade route will start at the corner of Main, Salem, and Ferry Streets, proceed Main Street to Forest Street (there will be a short ceremony at Forestdale Cemetery ), the parade will resume on Pierce Street, turn right on Salem Street, and end at Main, Salem and Ferry Streets. For more information, please contact me at ward1info@yahoo.com or 781-389-3148.

CITY COUNCIL NEWS:
Congratulations to Council President DiPietro and his wife Christine for becoming first-time grandparents to a baby boy Paul Patrick...The City Council appointed James Tuxbury to the part-time compliance officer position. Thank you to the 20 applicants who applied for the position. Next up will be interviews for a position on the Residential Employment Monitoring Committee. The Resident Employment Monitoring Committee is charged with ensuring that qualified Malden residents are considered for work on public construction jobs, including the ongoing renovation of Malden High School...Work continues on the future of the organizational structure of the city's financial operation. Councillor Nestor's Finance Committee has been meeting on a weekly basis to determine the next steps...Condolences on the passing of longtime retired Malden Police Officer Fred Rowe...Yard waste pickup will be weekly for the month of May. Yard waste can also be dropped off at the Department of Public Works Monday-Friday between 7:30-4 pm and Saturday 8:00-12 noon...The revamped city website is up and running at www.cityofmalden.org. Let us know what you think...The Malden Public Library will soon be offering WiFi service...Please visit www.biddingforgood.com/ywca to review the items for the online auction to benefit the Malden YWCA.

Thank you to Karin Nystrom and Joe Turner for their efforts on the Second Annual All Faiths Festival which was successfully held last weekend...Enjoy a meal to benefit FAME (The Foundation for the Advancement of Malden Education, Inc.). Go to www.eversave.com today or Friday and buy one of the vouchers for Montebello. Pay $20 for $45 worth of food and drinks of which ten percent of the proceeds will go directly to FAME...The MBTA's Orange Line will be going to Single Person Train Operation (SPTO) beginning on June 26th. The move is expected to save the MBTA $1.5M annually. For more information, please contact Tina Beasley at orangeline@mbta.com, visit www.mbta.com, or call 617-222-5844...The Tri-City Haitian Relief Task Force continues to help Haiti. Pastor Laguerre from Malden's Seventh Day Adventist Church delivered more than 100 tents and medical supplies to Haiti on April 10th. As a reminder, donations can be made to the Haitian Relief Fund, c/o Century Bank, 140 Ferry Street, Malden. Thank you for your continued support!...There will be a Malden Girls and Boys Youth Basketball League this summer. Sponsored by the Partnership for Community Schools in Malden, the grades range from 3 to 8 and those interested should contact Joe Levine at 781-397-7168 or joelev55@msn.com.

WARD 1 NEWS:
There will soon be bike racks at Green Street Park...The Bell Rock Safety Plan at Medford, Bell Rock, and Green Street continues on but I believe we are closing in on a final decision. A meeting will be held once we are ready to move forward...The WWII Memorial renovation at Bell Rock Memorial Park continues and a June 26th dedication at 10 am is being planned...Congratulations to Jessica D'Entremont who was a member of the U-14 Middlesex Yankee Girls Hockey Championship...Thank you to the Malden Fire Department along with the other agencies for their help with the fire at 10 Howard Street.

Happy XX Birthday to Dave Russo! I don't want to put the years for fear of reprisal during one of his future comedy shows...The Traffic Commission voted unanimously to limit parking to one hour near the businesses on the odd side of Ferry Street between High Street and Eastern Avenue. There has been alot of double-parking and close accidents as a result...A friend of a Ward 1 resident is losing his apartment and is wondering if anyone is looking for a roommate or has an apartment available. If interested, please contact Greg at qbcoachwilson@hotmail.com.

The Malden Planning Board recently met and tabled the petition to extend the special permit previously granted on 121 Madison Street. That hearing will be held on Wednesday, May 7th at 7 pm. The second petition to enclose the porch at 84 Fairmont Street was approved...A Ward 1 resident is offering a sunny, clean, 1 or 2 bedroom apartment in a safe and quiet neighborhood; off-street parking; decent kitchen with counter space for someone who cooks/bakes; washer/dryer in unit or building; 2nd floor (or higher if there's an elevator); $1,000 per month or less. For more information, please contact Paula at paula.spizziri@verizon.net or 781-322-9390.

The Ferryway School Council meeting will take place on Thursday, May 6th beginning at 7 pm in the school library and the PTO will meet on Tuesday, May 11th at 6:30 p.m. in the school library...Ferryway School MCAS testing on math, science, and technology begins on Monday, May 10th...The Mayor's Housing Task Force inspects problem residential and commercial properties throughout the community in an effort to eliminate blight in the neighborhoods. Ward 1 locations that are on the Mayor's Housing Task Force list as of March 23rd include 168 Belmont Street, 141 Cross Street, 163 Ferry Street, 161-163 Madison Street, 91-95 Medford Street, 33 Pratt Street, and 49 Walnut Street. 141 Walnut Street has been removed as the Malden Redevelopment Authority sold the house to new neighbors after a bidding process was completed.

That's it for now! Please e-mail me back or call me with any further questions at 781-389-3148.