State House News Service Weekly Roundup: Go to the Head of the Class

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Article source: State House News Service

Author: Matt Murphy

 

MARCH 5, 2021…..Form a line, single file. No talking. And stay to the right.

Teachers are used to enforcing these rules for their pupils, but when it came to their own COVID-19 vaccinations it was only by breaking them that this week they wound up getting exactly what they said was necessary to safely return all children to the classroom.

The pressure campaign to vaccinate teachers has been building for weeks, but reached fever pitch after Gov. Charlie Baker announced last week that he would seek to return all students back to in-person learning this school year, beginning with elementary students by April.

House Speaker Ron Mariano had already said he supported pushing teachers up the priority ladder, and Senate President Karen Spilka joined the cause Tuesday when she called on Baker to not only make teachers eligible to get vaccinated this month, but she wanted to see doses set aside for teachers and school staff as the state’s supply increases.

The real tipping point, however, came later Tuesday when President Joe Biden called on all states to begin vaccinating teachers in March, if they hadn’t started already. He said he would begin pushing vaccine doses through the federal pharmacy program to chains like CVS and Walgreens to help make it happen.

The next day, teachers were already booking appointments at CVS when Baker said they could start making appointments at state run sites on March 11 — next Thursday. But due to the limited supply, he said would not be earmarking any doses. Because everyone knows how he feels about earmarks.

The relenting of the administration on teacher vaccinations was hailed as a victory by the MTA and other supporters of the idea, but if Baker thought he might be buying a modicum of support from the union for his plan to return to in-person learning he was wrong. He now has other groups of workers lobbying louder for their turn to come sooner, and the teachers are still at his throat.

As Education Commissioner Jeff Riley went before the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on Friday seeking the emergency authority he would need to force hold-out districts to scrap their remote and hybrid learning models, MTA President Merrie Najimy warned that letting the state decide when it’s safe would create an “extremely chaotic” situation and violate the spirit of local decision-making.

Najimy and the MTA may have won the vaccine battle, but they lost the in-person learning fight. And the rubber match over MCAS testing has already begun, with the state announcing Friday the test would be delayed into May and June, but not cancelled.

A new poll released this week by Advantage and paid for by the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance found that nearly 47 percent of Democrats favor a hybrid learning model in their districts, compared to 22 percent of Republicans, while over 58 percent of GOP voters want to see a return to in-person voting and only 12 percent of Democrats feel the same way.

That same poll found that Democrats and Republicans saw Baker’s handling of the pandemic similarly, with 43 percent of Republicans and nearly 41 percent of Democrats approving of his performance, though Republicans were more likely to feel “strongly” one way to the other.

What that means for 2022 remains to be seen, but this poll showed that Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito may have some strategizing to do if Baker doesn’t seek a third term because she could find herself running neck-and-neck with former state Rep. Geoff Diehl, who trailed her by less than two points with 58 percent undecided in a head-to-head matchup.  Meanwhile, Democrats were all in for Attorney General Maura Healey if she runs, according to the poll.

Speaking of cancelling, anyone who had planned to get their second dose of Moderna or Pfizer vaccine after March 27, after getting first dose at Fenway Park, will now be heading to the less-alluring Hynes Convention Center instead.

With the Red Sox set to resume practicing and playing baseball at Fenway on April 1, Baker and CIC Health are moving the operation to the Back Bay convention center to avoid confusion. Plus, Baker said, if the feds ever do get around to delivering more vaccines CIC Health will be able to administer up to 5,000 shots a day at Hynes, as opposed to 1,500 at Fenway.

Vaccinations will begin at Hynes on March 18, and Fenway will cease to be a health clinic on March 27.

The closure of the Fenway mass vaccination site is too bad for all those people who were hoping to pair an “I Voted at Fenway” sticker with an “I Got Vaccinated at Fenway Park” button in their pandemic journals.

In fact, the very notion of going to a polling station at all may sound quaint by the time the history books on this era are written.

House Speaker Ron Mariano this week continued to drive his agenda, pushing through an extension of voting by mail through June as the Legislature considers whether and how to make the practice permanent. He also announced that the House would soon take up a child protection and foster care bill that came close to passing last session, but ultimately fell short as the House and Senate differed on the details and ran out of time.

Mariano said the drop in reports of child abuse and neglect to DCF during the pandemic shows that children are falling through the cracks in the system. “The House is steadfast in its position that the Commonwealth’s children cannot wait,” the speaker and three of his chairs said in a joint statement.

Wait, that is, for the bill filed by Rep. Paul Donato to make its way through the normal legislative process, which would typically include a hearing before the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Disabilities.

At times, Senate President Karen Spilka has been onboard with Mariano’s why-wait approach. Like when the two Democratic leaders partnered to repass a climate bill vetoed by Baker last session.

But the Senate threw the brakes on the vote-by-mail extension this week to accept testimony through Monday, and has not commented on the foster care bill.

Mariano and Spilka do appear to be on the same page on taxes, with neither eyeing tax hikes at the moment to cover state spending. And why would they?

Though it always comes with a heavy dose of caution, the Department of Revenue reported this week that taxes collected in February shattered expectations by $372 million. The state, which has twice upgraded its estimate of collections this fiscal year, is now sitting on a healthy cushion as it enters the home stretch of the fiscal year with some of the biggest risk-reward months for tax collections to come.

That bit of good news arrived a couple of days after the House and Senate Ways and Means Committee opened the budget hearing season by inviting the administration and other Constitutional officers to testify on Baker’s restrained $45.6 billion budget proposal for fiscal 2022.

The hearing shed some light on several priorities that won’t be able to wait until a budget is finalized in June or July. One is the question of how the state should approach taxing Paycheck Protection Program loans that have been forgiven by the federal government and other state recovery grants going to small businesses.

The administration estimates that up to $175 million in state-level taxes are on the line, and there appears to be support for exempting the grants to further help small businesses. Insiders, however, said House and Senate Democrats are leery of looking like they’re giving too much away to the business community, and are searching for ways to package a tax fix and limits on unemployment insurance hikes this month with new benefits for workers.

Secretary of State William Galvin also told lawmakers that they need to start thinking about changing some of the statutory deadlines for redistricting now that the U.S. Census Bureau has said it won’t be able to deliver community-level data until the fall, and Galvin wants more money in the budget for himself in case he needs to sue over the Census’s alleged undercounting of Bay State residents.

Winthrop’s Jeff Turco could find himself thrust right into the middle of all of these debates over spending, taxes, testing and vaccination if he is able to win the special general election for the 19th Suffolk District seat on March 30.

The self-proclaimed “Reagan Democrat” prevailed in a Democratic primary Tuesday that featured three more progressive candidates, topping second place finisher Juan Jaramillo of Revere by about six percentage points. But he must still get through Republican Paul Caruccio and independent Richard Fucillo to claim the seat held most recently – and for 30 years – by former Speaker Robert DeLeo.

Turco’s victory is being held up by the liberal wing of the party as more evidence of why ranked-choice-voting, which was rejected by voters on the ballot in November, is necessary.

Member Spotlight: Prepare for the Unexpected With empHowered PR

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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses to shift gears or risk being left behind.

And while many businesses may not know how to navigate these new challenges, empHowered PR in Leominster can help.

empHowered PR, LLC, was founded by Lauren Howe, an award-winning public relations professional with more than 20 years of experience working in the healthcare, manufacturing and non-profit industries.

Her public relations firm, which opened in the midst of the pandemic, specializes in highly-tailored communications services to “empHower’’ businesses and non-profit organizations to build strong a strong brand and reputation and to develop the tools needed to effectively respond to – and during – a crisis.

“With the pandemic, a lot of businesses had to pivot and respond in ways they didn’t have to before,’’ she said. “Even I had to pivot in the dark. I thought my business would be in crisis communications but a lot of my business right now is helping other businesses figure out their brand based on the pandemic and how they’ve had to pivot.’’

Howe left her job in corporate America on Valentine’s Day 2020. She took some time off to relax with her daughter before starting her own businesses.

She met with the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce on March 7 looking for assistance and shared networking space. She set up appointments with a lawyer, accountant, and financial advisor. And then the state shut down.

She decided to hold off opening until July 2020 and rented space at the chamber.

“They were super helpful to me for everything,’’ she said. “My business has really grown a lot since then.’’

Howe recently decided to head out on her own and set up shop in downtown Leominster, the city where she was born and raised.

While most of her current clients are not local or even in Massachusetts, Howe hopes that changes as she’s not aware of another public relations firm in Fitchburg or Leominster.

“I want to help my local businesses. This is an opportunity for me to share my expertise with my peers,’’ she said. “It’s an opportunity to network and support them and help them pivot because I had to. I’m one of them.’’

Her core services include brand strategy, crisis communications planning and support, reputation management, corporate social responsibility, media training and writing services.

One area in which she can help is preparing businesses for the unexpected.

“When the next thing happens, and it’s going to, whether it’s a pandemic, fire, financial loss or impact in reputation, we can help you navigate through that and weather the storm,’’ she said.

Another area of focus for Howe is sharing the importance of being a good corporate citizen.

“When you have a strong brand and when you’re engaged in the community, if and when a crisis hits you, you will have those relationships and trust,’’ she said.

Howe said she practices what she preaches.

She is an active member of the community, serving on the boards of the 658 Foundation, which is the philanthropic arm of the Fay Club, and the Boys & Girls Club of Lunenburg. She previously served on the board of directors for Girls Inc. of Worcester and each August, rides in the Pan-Mass Challenge to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

empHowered PR is located at 20 Main St., Suite 2E in Leominster. For more information, call 978-400-3036 or visit http://www.emphoweredpr.com/.

Which business stage are you in?

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Every business goes through similar stages, no matter which industry it operates in. Knowing what stage your company is in can help guide you in focusing your efforts on the right activities for your current situation. Here’s an overview of the primary stages of any business.

Stage 1: Development

This stage actually takes place before your business even becomes a business. In this phase, you’ll be developing your products or services, finding suppliers and other service providers, and establishing the goals for your company. Take the time to do ample research on the market you intend to enter so that you can set yourself up for success right from the start.

Stage 2: Startup

Once you have completed the planning process, it’s time to launch your business. This is the riskiest phase for any company in any industry. You’ll need to keep close watch on all company activities to ensure that your team is working on the most critical tasks in this delicate stage. It is also important to be flexible during this period as you gain feedback from your earliest customers. Don’t be afraid to tweak your offerings to better meet the needs of your customers.

Stage 3: Establishment

By this point, your business should have a solid customer base and continue to bring in new customers. Your products and services should have reached their peak at this time as well. Your company’s cash flow should cover your ongoing expenses, and you should be able to see a bit of extra money to cover the expenses related to future growth.

Stage 4: Expansion

Now is the time to start really pushing to grow your business. Draw on your existing customer base for referrals to keep growing your company. This phase is also the ideal time to think about adding new products or services to your arsenal. Use customer feedback to guide you in the best areas for your company to grow. Don’t forget about the importance of delegating once you reach this phase. Your team can likely handle many of the daily tasks you complete yourself, freeing you up to focus more on growing your enterprise.

Stage 5: Maturity

In the maturity stage, you are running a successful business with stable income and high-quality products or services. Your customers are happy with your offerings, and your team is more than capable of handling their work load. At this point, you can keep doing what you are doing, sitting back to watch the profits roll in. You also have the option of selling your company. With this route, you can obtain a large windfall of cash and relieve yourself of the ongoing duties of running your business so that you can shift your focus to your next endeavor.

Although every business is unique, the stages that it will go through are common across all industries. It is important to know where your company falls in this hierarchy so that you know which tasks are most deserving of your time. The better prepared you are for each stage, the easier it will be to progress to the next level.

Marketing Your Business During a Crisis

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If you are struggling with how to market your business in the current environment of uncertainty, you aren’t alone. Many members want to get the word out that their businesses are once again open for trade. However, some don’t quite know how to advertise without seeming insensitive to the realities of the global pandemic. Fortunately, small business owners can look to big brands for guidance and inspiration.

Evaluate Your Imagery and Language

Visual communication speaks as loudly as spoken words when you advertise your brand. Here are a few tips to help you avoid insensitivity in your messaging:

  • Change your visuals to avoid pictures of crowds, people working closely together and social gatherings.
  • Reframe marketing language to the new norm. Reconsider phrases like “keep in touch,” or “get closer to your clients.” These messages may be misconstrued.
  • Revise imagery on current and upcoming campaigns to reflect the reality of quarantine, social distancing and other precautions.

Stay Positive — but Aware

Although people are concerned, your brand message doesn’t have to be grim. Look to your brand voice to guide you through your campaign planning. Your ads should reflect what’s going on in the world without being sad. The purpose, mission and vision of your brand will guide you. What does it mean in terms of COVID-19 and how you can still serve your clients?

Now is the time to be human and personable. Offer real emotion and hope in relation to how your product can still fulfill its function. A reminder of life beyond COVID-19 may inspire hope in your audience.

Highlight Your Efforts to Help

Create brand stories if your product can make life in quarantine better. Does you product provide entertainment at home? Will it help people maintain no-contact transactions? Clarify what your brand can do.

Even if your product or service can’t directly alleviate life in quarantine, you can still educate and encourage people to stay home and stay safe.

Big Brand Examples

We chose three examples of big brands that turned a negative into a positive and focused on supporting customers concerned about the coronavirus. Use these examples to motivate your rebranding throughout the global pandemic and economic crisis.

Market Your Business Thoughtfully

With compassion and humanity, you can come up with creative ways to connect with clients focused on their health and well-being. Inspirational, well-informed ads can help you get your products to customers that can still benefit from them.

5 Signs You’re a Community Leader

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Leadership comes in many forms, from those who inspire dedication and support to those who rule through fear and intimidation. A true leader is someone who can command those under them without having to resort to extreme tactics. Many great leaders share some common traits, so work to improve these qualities in yourself to establish yourself as a leader in your community.

A Vision for the Future

You won’t get very far as a community leader if you don’t have a destination in mind. In order to get your friends and neighbors to rally around you, they need to have a sense of what your goals are for the community. Take the time to think about what it is that you want for your neighborhood, and find out whether others share your vision. This way, you can all begin to work together towards a common goal.

Humility

One of the marks of a great leader is the ability to recognize when you don’t know something. Admitting that you need outside help or advice is not a sign of weakness but rather a show of wisdom. Just because you ask for help doesn’t make you any less of a leader. Of course, you don’t want to discount your own knowledge, as you have a unique perspective to offer your community. The key is to recognize when others are more qualified to handle certain tasks. True leaders know when to do the work themselves and when to delegate.

Charisma

Some people seem to have a quality about them that just draws people to them, even if you can’t pinpoint what it is exactly. You’ll need charisma to succeed as a community leader because you need to be able to persuade people to listen to what you have to say. Take every opportunity you can get to refine your public speaking and networking skills. As you continue to rise through the ranks of your community, you’ll need to draw on these skills more and more frequently.

Bringing Out the Best in Others

A true leader knows how to maximize other people’s strengths by encouraging and supporting them. Rather than clawing your way to the top by tearing down those around you, it is far better to build yourself up by building a strong team. With everyone working together, the entire team gains greater recognition, and as the leader, you’ll get the most recognition of all. You’ll get greater loyalty from your team as well, as they’ll be more inclined to support you when they feel valued and that their skills are being put to good use.

Patience

You won’t become a community leader overnight, so you’ll need to have the patience necessary to gradually build your audience over time. If you take the time to get involved in your community and listen to what your peers are saying, you’ll establish yourself as an active member of society. Over time, your neighbors will start to get to know you and value your opinion. As you continue to grow and expand your influence, you’ll be well on your way to establishing yourself as a community leader.

There is no time like the present to start grooming yourself to become a pillar of your community. Focus on self-development and improving the community around you, and the rest will eventually fall into place.

North Central Massachusetts Chamber Welcomes Moreno to its Professional Staff

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(North Central, MA) – The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the addition of Desiree Moreno to its professional staff in the position of Business Development Manager.

Ms. Moreno will be responsible for leading the Chamber’s member recruitment and retention efforts.  She joins the Chamber from Monster.com where she worked as a Business Development Representative.  She has roots in the community, growing up locally and currently residing in Fitchburg.  Her family owns and operates a local small business which is also a Chamber member and successful client of the Chamber’s economic development arm, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation.  In addition to her experience at Monster.com, she has also worked at her family’s business part-time.  She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Salem State University and volunteers her time coaching softball.

“We are excited to welcome Desiree to our team,” said Roy M. Nascimento, President & CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce.  “Her energy, experience, local roots and strong interest in the work of the Chamber and our affiliates made a positive impression during the selection process. She will play an important role in our efforts to engage business leaders in North Central Massachusetts”

Existing members or businesses interested in learning more about the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce can reach out to Desiree Moreno at 978.353.7600 ext. 239 or via email at .

Supply Side Vaxonomics

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FEB. 26, 2021…..It’s the supply, stupid.

Those weren’t the exact words Gov. Charlie Baker used Thursday, but as he got barraged with criticism from Democratic lawmakers eager to show they were ready to stand up to the Republican administration, it was a defense he would return to again and again.

The new Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness’s vaccine oversight hearing was must-see streaming on Beacon Hill, even with the governor trying to offer his own counter-programming.

The state’s vaccine rollout, and more specifically its online appointment booking system, continued to be a source of consternation this week. While the system didn’t crash, per se, the experience of fighting online with hundreds of thousands of people for one of the 50,000 new appointments left an anxious public unpacified.

The math just doesn’t work, Baker told lawmakers who were seeking answers, or someone to blame. When the feds give us more doses, we’ll vaccinate more people, he said.

However, the limited-supply argument only took the governor so far as he testified for about an hour before the committee, whose members felt that just putting shots in people’s arms wasn’t a sufficient measure of success.

They weren’t there to hear the governor recite statistics about Massachusetts ranking tops in the country for first doses administered among states with more than 5 million residents, or that Bloomberg placed the state second for first doses administered to Black residents. Though he did do that.

“You’re missing how broken the system is right now,” said Rep. William Driscoll, a Milton Democrat and co-chair of the committee.

Residents — their constituents – were tired and frustrated of logging onto the state’s vaccine website day-after-day, week-after-week, only to find there are either no appointments available or, as occurred Thursday, they were in line behind 90,000 other people. There has to be a better way, lawmakers said.

“Will you say sorry to the million of people…,” said Sen. Eric Lesser, in one of the most pointed lines of questioning the governor faced all day.

“Of course, absolutely. Definitely. Yes, of course,” Baker said.

In the middle of this tense back and forth between Baker and legislators, it leaked out that Baker was about to announce that the state would allow fans to return to large venues like Fenway Park in time for Opening Day.

He would use his 1 p.m. event in Salem as a reason to duck out of the 11 a.m. oversight hearing, though he promised he would come back in a few weeks when asked.

But at the Ledger Restaurant and Bar, Baker announced that the reopening phase he first described back in May as the “New Normal” was finally on the horizon.

Beginning March 22, Baker said the state would move into Phase 4, meaning Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium and TD Garden could reopen to spectators, although at a limited 12 percent capacity. For baseball fans, that means about 4,500 people will be able to watch the first pitch get thrown live on April 1.

The push ahead into the next phase of economic activity also means that gathering size limits on indoor and outdoor events will increase to 100 and 150, respectively. So as Massachusetts mourns the anniversary of the superspreader Biogen conference this week, it can also look ahead to the return, on a much smaller scale, of conferences … and weddings … with dancing.

Even before that happens, the administration said beginning Monday most businesses will see their capacity limits increased to 50 percent. Concert halls and theaters will be allowed to reopen at half capacity, capped at 500 people, roller rinks and other indoor recreation facilities will be back in business. And restaurants beginning will no longer have a percent capacity limit and will be permitted to host musical performances, with six-foot social distancing enforced and limits of six people per table and 90-minute seatings.

“We’re almost there,” Baker said. “We’re going to continue to move forward and if all goes according to plan and the feds increase supply (of vaccine) we could be in a very different position a couple, three months from now,” Baker said.

There was that supply issue again, and it could improve soon. Pfizer and Moderna both told Congress that they planned to significantly ramp up production in March, and the FDA on Friday was considering Johnson & Johnson’s application for emergency use of its one-dose vaccine.

But in the meantime, Baker said vaccines are not required to safely bring students back to school, and wants to see that happen by April.

Education Commissioner Jeff Riley helped lay out the administration’s plan on Tuesday to bring elementary school students back to the classroom full time by April.

About 80 percent of districts have brought students back at least part-time, and the administration’s position is that the improved health conditions no longer justify waiting, at least for younger students.

The administration’s goal was a slam dunk. It was hard to find anyone who didn’t think children belong in a classroom and would benefit socially and academically from a return to in-person learning. The controversy remains about how to make that happen.

“The state’s plan to fully reopen most schools in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic shows callous disregard for the health and safety of school employees, students and families and rides roughshod over the rights and interests of local communities,” said Massachusetts Teachers Association President Merrie Najimy.

And Najimy isn’t alone in thinking teachers – who are in the next group to be vaccinated — deserve even greater prioritization. House Speaker Ron Mariano amplified the issue last weekend in a television interview when he said he thought teachers should be moved “to the head of the line.”

But this week, Mariano was all about pushing through a package of legislative rules that stopped short of the transparency-driven reforms passed by the Senate that would make sure all committee votes are published online and written testimony to committees be made public upon request Rules reformers, like freshman Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven, found more support among her Republican colleagues than her fellow Democrats for matching the Senate’s proposal. But that’s actually not an unusual phenomenon when it comes to debating the rules.

While the joint House-Senate rules sparked considerable back-and-forth, there were no objections to calling off a special election for mayor of Boston this year. The House and Senate both enacted a necessary home rule petition to make that happen should Walsh resign before next Friday, as one of their own – Rep. Jon Santiago of the South End – jumped into the race for mayor.

The new speaker also told House members that he would seek to extend voting-by-mail through June while the House works on making the option permanent in Massachusetts. An extension of the voting-by-mail rules past March 31 would ensure that all municipal elections planned for this spring would be covered.

Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman Jim Lyons, however, said he is still waiting for Secretary of State William Galvin to acknowledge GOP requests for a full review of the 2020 election and the strengths and vulnerabilities of the mail-in voting system.

Regardless of how that debate unfolds, voters in the 19th Suffolk District will choose before the end of next month who should replace former Speaker Robert DeLeo and represent them in the House.

That race got rocked this week by allegations of sexual harassment against former DeLeo and Sen. Paul Feeney aide Tino Capobianco, who quickly saw endorsements from Attorney General Maura Healey, Joseph Kennedy III and even Feeney disappear. Capobianco denied the thrust of the allegations, reported by GBH, and apologized if he hurt anyone, but voters will deliver the ultimate verdict in the primary on Tuesday.

They may be at odds over voting, but Lyons and Galvin were able to agree Friday, along with Democratic Party Chairman Gus Bickford and BC Law School Dean Vincent Rougeau, to offer Woburn City Clerk Bill Campbell the job of director of the Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

Campbell will be the first new head of the campaign finance agency in more than 25 years.

That’s less than the maximum sentence for one count of bank fraud, to which former Rep. David Nangle pleaded guilty to four of this week as part of a plea agreement with departing U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling.

All told, the Lowell Democrat pleaded guilty to 10 counts of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud, four counts of making false statements to a bank and five counts of filing false tax returns. Nangle’s crimes involved using campaign funds to pay for golf club memberships and his casino gambling habits, as well as fraudulently securing loans by concealing his debt and using that money to gamble.

Federal prosecutors did not make a recommendation of prison time, but the 11-term legislator who lost reelection last year while under indictment has a sentencing hearing set for June 24.

Reopening Guidelines Updated and a Message From the COVID-19 Command Center About Employer Vaccination Programs

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Today, February 25, 2021, at 1:00 PM, Governor Baker, Lt. Governor Polito and Secretary Kennealy announced updates pertaining to the state’s reopening process and sector specific guidance. These include:
1.Phase 3, Step 2: Effective March 1para, the Commonwealth will move forward into Phase 3, Step 2. This will reopen:
·    Indoor performance venues such as concert halls, theaters, and other indoor performance spaces: Open at 50% capacity with 500 person max
·    Indoor recreational activities with greater potential for contact: laser tag, roller skating, trampolines, obstacle courses: Open at 50% capacity
2.Updated Capacity Limits: Effective March 1para the following industries will increase to 50% capacity. Employees will be exempt from capacity restrictions in all of these industries:
·    Arcades & Other Indoor and Outdoor Recreation Businesses
·    Close Contact Personal Services
·    Driving and Flight Schools
·    Fitness Centers and Health Clubs
·    Golf Facilities (indoor)
·    Libraries
·    Operators of Lodging (common spaces)
·    Museums, Cultural & Historic Facilities, Guided Tours
·    Office Spaces
·    Places of Worship
·    Sectors not Otherwise Addressed
·    Theaters and Performance Venues
·    Relevant EEA Industries – Youth sports spectators etc.
The following industries remain unaffected by capacity limits:
·    Drive in movie theaters
·    Construction
·    Laboratories
·    Manufacturing
3.Additional Guidance Changes:
·    Effective March 1para, Restaurants will no longer be subject to a % seated capacity limit and their capacity is limited only by the requirement of 6 feet between tables
·    Musical performances allowed in restaurants (with appropriate distancing)
·    90 minute time limit on tables stays in place
·    Limit of no more than 6 per table stays in place
·    Food courts remain closed
·    Effective March 1para, Fitting rooms may open in all retail businesses
4.Gatherings Limit: Effective March 22nd, subject to public health data, the gatherings limit will increase for event venues and public settings, but will stay the same in private settings:
·    Event Venues and Public Settings:
·    100 indoor
·    150 outdoor
·    Private Settings (such as private residences):
·    10 indoors
·    25 outdoors
5.Phase 4, Step 1: Effective March 22nd, subject to public health data, the Commonwealth will move into Phase 4, Step 1:
·    Indoor and outdoor stadiums, arenas and ballparks will reopen with a 12% capacity limit:
·    A large venue is defined as a having a capacity of 5,000 or more
·    Venues with capacity under 5,000 are subject to the Indoor and Outdoor Performance Venue guidance
·    Large venues will be required to submit a safety plan to the Department of Public Health
·    Overnight Camps will be allowed to open for Summer 2021
·    Exhibition and Convention Halls may reopen, subject to gathering limits and event rules
·    Dance floors may open at weddings and events only
·    All other Phase 4 industries will not be able to open until a future reopening step. Those include:
·    Road races, street festivals, and parades, and fairs
·    Amusement parks, theme parks, outdoor water parks
·    Indoor water parks and indoor/outdoor ball pits
·    Saunas, hot-tubs, steam rooms at fitness centers, health clubs, and other facilities
·    Beer gardens/ breweries/ wineries/ distilleries
·    Bars, dance clubs, and nightclubs—venues offering entertainment, beverages, or dancing and not providing seated food service
Updated guidance can be found at www.mass.gov/reapertura.

COVID-19 Business Relief Grants

Today, an additional 1,108 businesses are receiving COVID-19 relief grants totaling more than $49 million in awards to help with expenses like payroll, benefits, utilities and rent. To date, the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded more than $563 million in direct financial support to 12,320 businesses impacted by the pandemic through the Small Business and Sector-Specific Grant Programs.

Each business meets sector and demographic priorities set for the two grant programs. More than half of grantees are restaurants, bars, caterers, operators of personal services like hair and nail salons, and independent retailers. Over half of the businesses receiving relief are women-and-minority-owned enterprises. 

Please see the message below from the COVID-19 Command Center:
At this time, we do not receive sufficient vaccine supply from the Federal Government to support an employer based vaccine program. Based upon federal supply projections, we had hoped and planned to allow companies to participate, however, we now ask the business community to hold off on efforts to set up employer based vaccination clinics.
The streamlining of the Commonwealth’s vaccination program comes as the state continues to do everything possible to increase the rate of administration of vaccines while operating in a very constrained environment. Massachusetts only receives 139,000 first doses of vaccine on a weekly basis from the Federal Government. That weekly allotment is far less than the supply the Commonwealth had expected to receive based on federal projections.
Our efforts to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of our vaccination program while ensuring equitable distribution has led to difficult decisions. Despite making challenging tradeoffs, Massachusetts is now ranked 1para in the country for administration of vaccines for states with more than 5 million people and 9ta best among all states. In addition, Massachusetts is second in the administration of vaccines to individuals who are black. For the immediate future, the Commonwealth is focusing on large throughput locations that are available to all Massachusetts residents (as well as those who work or study here) until such time that vaccine supply increases dramatically.
We understand that some business may have taken steps to establish vaccination programs. We hope that as the vaccine supply increases, we will be able to continue to discuss employer sponsored clinics for employees who are eligible to receive vaccinations. We regret the necessity of taking this step at this time. Thank you for your continued partnership as we continue to battle COVID-19.

Baker-Polito Administration Announces $4.7 Million for Vaccine Equity in Hardest-Hit Communities; Regional Vaccination Collaboratives

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BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration today announced a new $4.7 million initiative to promote COVID-19 vaccine equity in the 20 communities most disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. The Administration also announced 11 high-efficiency regional vaccination collaboratives involving local health officials and other regional partners.

Vaccination Appointments: Tomorrow, around 50,000 new appointments will be added at mass vaccination locations across the Commonwealth. This includes the mass vaccination locations at Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium, Springfield, Danvers, Dartmouth and Natick. Retail pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens will also administer over 20,000 doses next week as well.

Residents can go to www.mass.gov/COVIDvaccine tomorrow morning to find and schedule their appointments. Appointment availability is very limited due to the constrained supply of vaccine doses that the Commonwealth is receiving from the federal government.

$4.7 Million for Vaccine Equity: The Administration today announced a $4.7 million effort to support its vaccine equity initiative announced last week, which focuses on reducing barriers to vaccination in the 20 hardest-hit communities in the Commonwealth. The Administration will work with Archipelago Strategies Group (ASG) and Health Care for All (HCFA) to best leverage these funds.

The initiative will support and coordinate with local leaders and community- and faith-based organizations to strengthen existing efforts in these cities and towns. These efforts will specifically focus on communities of color, homebound seniors, disabled individuals and other hard-to-reach populations. ASG and HCFA will provide hyperlocal, population-specific communication resources as well as hiring local residents and working with local organizations with cultural and linguistic competencies to reach disparately impacted populations in each priority municipality. ASG specializes in grassroots mobilization, partnering with local leaders, community organizations, and media partners to develop community-based solutions. As a subcontractor, HCFA will provide high-touch support for priority communities, including direct service support, community organizing, education, and outreach.

This work will complement the Commonwealth’s $2.5 million public awareness campaign, “Trust the Facts, Get the Vax,” adapting the campaign’s messaging for specific communities. The initiative will focus on the 20 municipalities with the greatest COVID-19 case burden, taking into account social determinants of health and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color. These communities are Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Framingham, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, New Bedford, Randolph, Revere, Springfield and Worcester. This work will be coordinated with targeted opportunities for increased vaccine access through existing and new locations, including pop up sites and mobile clinics.

Regional Collaboratives: In addition, the Administration today also designated 11 new regional collaboratives that will support efforts to streamline vaccination efforts. These collaboratives will leverage local health officials, regional hospitals and others to deliver high-throughput, efficient vaccination sites for all eligible residents across the Commonwealth beginning March 1. Collaboratives must meet several criteria:

  • Have capacity to vaccinate a minimum of 750 individuals per day, 5 days per week (subject to vaccine availability);
  • Meet an administration rate threshold of 85% and report doses within 24 hours;
  • Be open to all residents of the Commonwealth (collaborations may focus outreach efforts towards those who live or work in the area, but must be open to all Massachusetts residents)
  • Provide public links for vaccine appointments on www.mass.gov/COVIDVaccine.

New and existing collaboratives announced today:

  • Barnstable County
  • Berkshire County Boards of Health Association
  • Franklin County Regional Collaborative
  • Harrington Hospital, in Collaboration with LBOH
  • Heywood Hospital, in Collaboration with LBOH
  • Lawrence General Hospital, in Collaboration with LBOH
  • Marshfield-Plymouth
  • Northampton & Amherst
  • Randolph – Collaboration between Avon, Holbrook, and Randolph
  • Rutland
  • Worcester, Worcester State University, Commonwealth Medicine and St. Vincent Hospital

Information about booking appointments through these collaboratives will be available on www.mass.gov/COVIDvaccine in the coming days.

 

Regional collaborative leaders on their programs:

Marshfield-Plymouth: “The Marshfield Fairgrounds drive-through site is a place for residents on the South Shore to get vaccinated while in their cars without the worry of parking, walking, or waiting in line. Special thanks to Governor Baker, Lt. Governor Polito and their administration for supporting this site to service so many people in South Eastern Mass. The more people we can get vaccinated the closer we get to ‘herd immunity.’ This pandemic does not recognize town borders, and neither can we.” – Michael Maresco, Marshfield Town Administrator

Lawrence General Hospital, in collaboration with local health departments: “Our Lawrence General Hospital vaccination team is currently vaccinating over 1,000 people a day including some of the most vulnerable in our community. The communities we serve have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and Lawrence General Hospital remains committed and eager to continue working closely with city leaders and state health officials as we ramp up vaccination efforts here in the Merrimack Valley.” – Deborah J. Wilson, President and CEO of Lawrence General Hospital

Berkshire County Boards of Health Association: “We recognized early-on that working together would be the most effective way to vaccinate our community here in the Berkshires. Our local health care organizations and public health departments had been partnering since the beginning of the pandemic, and collaborative vaccination clinics were the natural next step. We are grateful to the Commonwealth for helping us to formally create the Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative, and we look forward to continuing our work to vaccinate our entire community.” – Laura Kittross, Director of the Berkshire County Boards of Health Association, and Darlene Rodowicz, Executive Vice President of Berkshire Health Systems

Randolph: “Since February 5th, Randolph has been operating as a regional Covid-19 vaccination site in collaboration with our neighboring communities of Avon and Holbrook. As our efforts ramp up to vaccinate Massachusetts residents through the different phases of eligibility, we are grateful for this opportunity and partnership with the COVID Command Center. This step towards vaccine distribution equity is important and Randolph is proud to partner with the state to ensure a smooth and efficient process.”  – Gerard F. Cody, REHS/RS, Randolph Public Health Director

Rutland: “The Town of Rutland is pleased to operate a regional COVID vaccination site. Rutland is the geographic center of the Commonwealth. We anticipate operating at 750 vaccine doses daily / 5 days a week. We are happy to fulfill this need in Central MA.” – Richard C Stevens, Rutland Health Agent

Heywood Hospital, in collaboration with local health departments: “In partnership with the City of Gardner, Heywood Healthcare opened its Covid-19 Vaccine Clinic on January 28, 2021. Located at the Polish American Citizens Club in Gardner, the clinic is staffed primarily by community volunteers consisting of retired physicians and RNs, in addition to Mount Wachusett Community College nursing students. It’s an honor to provide this service to our community, and we look forward to expanding that service to more individuals eligible for vaccine. We are grateful for our partnership with the state as we work through this pandemic and look forward to coming out on the other side. During its first month of service, operations at the clinic quickly ramped up from 200 doses administered during one session per week to nearly 2,500 doses now being administered during three sessions per week.” – Rozanna Penney, Vice President of Perioperative Services and Clinic Director at Heywood Hospital

Harrington Hospital, in collaboration with local health departments: “Harrington began providing vaccine to its employees in mid-December and quickly moved to vaccinate first responders. We then began working with the State to receive more vaccine to become a Statewide site and partnered with the local and regional communities. We worked closely with Southbridge to utilize their community center and gained support from local police and fire/EMS. This is an ongoing critical partnership! We went from vaccinating about 150 per day and now are doing more than 500 per day. The Commonwealth has supported our program as essential to provide vaccine to all those that are eligible.” – Ed Moore, President and CEO of Harrington Hospital

Northampton & Amherst: “I’m proud that Northampton has been chosen to fulfill this critical role for the people of Western Massachusetts. We take our responsibility very seriously as we work to get everyone vaccinated and get all our lives back to normal. I’m proud to have strong partners in the Town of Amherst and the State Department of Public Health to accomplish our mission as fast as possible.” – Merridith O’Leary, Northampton Public Health Director

Remodeling Your Business? Local Contractors Help You Nail It

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Thinking about saving some money on your next business remodeling project by doing the work yourself?

Before you start ripping down walls and installing new fixtures, you might want to re-think whether or not doing your own renovation work is really worth it. Unless you’re a professional contractor, chances are good this is one project you might want to leave to the experts.

Here’s some key questions to consider before tackling your business remodeling project by yourself:

Do You Have The Right To Remodel?

If you rent or lease the property where your business is located, chances are good that any decisions about renovations need to be made by the property manager or building owner. Performing any work on the structure could void your lease – even if you’ve clearly improved the space.

Do You Have The Time To Take On A Renovation Project?

Running a business is already a full-time job – how will you find the time to take on a renovation project? And remember, most building improvement jobs tend to cost more, and take longer, than you expect – are you prepared to step away from your day-to-day duties while you moonlight as a renovator?

The only exception here is if you happen to operate a seasonal business, and you’re able to do your own remodeling work during the weeks or months when your business is normally closed anyhow. In that case, you may be able to forgo your off-season vacation plans and complete some of the work yourself.

What About Liability?

Even if you’ve managed to complete some home improvement projects, doing work at your place of business involves an entirely different set of standards, regulations and risks. Workplaces need to conform to a host of local, state, and federal laws, including the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Doing your own remodeling work could fall outside the terms of your business insurance coverage, leaving you liable for any claims that arise as a result of work you’ve done – even if the work isn’t structural.

Will Doing Your Own Remodeling Really Deliver A Decent ROI?

The most common reason why business owners and managers consider doing their own remodeling work is to save money, but once the liability risks, lost productivity, and sweat equity involved are considered, you may come to the conclusion that doing your own remodeling work simply doesn’t make good business sense.

 

To view a full list of all the Real Estate and Construction chamber members, visit https://web.northcentralmass.com/Real-Estate-and-Construction.