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SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 Our office will be closed on Monday Sept. 7, for Labor Day TTHEHE BBEEACONACON HHILLILL TTIMESIMES Have a Safe Day! THERE ARE NO TIMES LIKE THESE TIMES Happening on Charles Street Real estate broker urges landlords to work together with retail tenants By Dan Murphy ic climate, adding, “On the other hand, the landlord wants tenants In order for the market for retail they think are going to succeed so rentals on Charles Street to recov- it’s not totally callous but rather er, landlords need to adjust their the normal way commercial leases expectations and be more willing are handled.” to strike a compromise with pro- As of Friday, 19 businesses had COURTESY OF SCAMPO spective tenants, according to one closed on Charles Street since the The staff of Scampo including, left to right: Jay Baker, general manager; Carah McLaughlin, event director; real estate broker in the know. pandemic struck, Govern said, Alex Pineda, executive chef; Lydia Shire, owner and chef; and Simon Restrepo, executive chef. “On Charles Street, landlords leaving about 40 remaining (albeit aren’t used to this kind of environ- many now have reduced hours and ment, which is unique, granted,” staff). Scampo at the Liberty Hotel reopens said Joe Govern, a broker with And as for new retail leases Street & Company’s 78 Charles executed on Charles Street amid By Dan Murphy menu in what resembles a class- said, “and it has cider syrup we St. office. “I think they need to be the pandemic, one retail business room setting. The menu, which reduced, spiced up and poured more willing to consider the risks downsized to a smaller location on When Scampo at the Liberty changes four times each year with around the duck, which is fall- retailers are taking in this market Charles Street through a deal that Hotel reopened Tuesday, Sept. 1, the seasons, offers 31 return- ish.” and meet them halfway and give Govern credits to an understand- after a nearly six-month respite ing and new dishes this time, as And for dessert, Shire said, them some concessions, rather ing landlord, while the Blessing due to the pandemic, Lydia Shire, opposed to the 55 different dishes “We’re making an insane pecan than have the burden be one-sid- Barn – a nonprofit thrift/antique the James Beard award-winning it typically boasts. cake with brown-butter toffee ed.” shop whose proceeds benefit celebrity chef and owner, could be “Some restaurants are offering frosting.” But Govern also acknowledges the programs of Mendon-based found working the dessert station 15 or 16 menu items, but we can’t Maria Podaza is also back two that landlords can’t afford to take Compassion New England – has as a pastry chef. do that at Scampo,” Shire said. or three times a week preparing a gamble on a risky proposition, a grand opening for its new 122 “I’m going back to my old “We’re a place that has always the restaurant’s homemade pasta, especially in the current econom- time,” said Shire, who will remain served fabulous pizza, and we including a sugar pumpkin agno- (CHARLES STREET, Pg. 4) working at this post for the fore- have a spaghetti menu that I think lotti in white truffle pasta with seeable future. “People can come is Number One in the city, along candied chestnuts and toasted BHS works to keep its community up to the dessert station and say with our homemade pastas.” sage. ‘hi’ to me. We’re going back to our Along with signature dishes like “As we’re ramping up, we’ll of lifelong learners together roots, like we’re opening up the the lobster and lamb pizzas, the have her in more often,” Shire restaurant up new.” Scampo duck with red cabbage said. “We’re being very cautious, Special to the Beacon Hill Times Hill Seminars. “While many in Scampo’s staff spent two weeks pierogi and cider syrup is one new and we’re going to do this right our community were skeptical “cleaning every inch of the restau- standout seasonal dish on the cur- and bring people back as needed, Beacon Hill Seminars was about holding classes online, over rant,” Shire said, before she sat rent menu. which is the smart business deci- finalizing plans to celebrate its 90 members signed up for three down with them all last Friday to “We made the filling yesterday, sion.” 20th anniversary last spring when online pilot courses, and the feed- give them a tutorial on the new and it has a little cranberry,” Shire the pandemic forced an unexpect- back was very positive.” (SCAMPO, Pg. 4) ed change in plans. BHS provided Zoom training More than 200 members were for all course registrants and its Beacon Hill Civic Association Community Corner enrolled in 25 courses when members appreciated being able to COVID-19 put a temporary end to Boston has a tool that works if we 311 app, and sent this first pic- connect with each other, as well as By Patricia Tully, BHS’ in-person classes at Prescott all use it regularly. ture with it. When I arrived to to continue some of their classes. BHCA Executive Director House, King’s Chapel Parish In my almost daily walkabouts my desk 5 minutes later, I had an Weekly attendance was high, and House, The Engineering Center Use the BOS:311 app –It works! around the neighborhood, I email saying the complaint had many appreciated the convenience and other historic venues around It’s easy to feel frustrated these always find something to send been received and it would be of learning from home, wheth- Beacon Hill. days with all that is going on to BOS:311. On August 24th, I dealt with. To my surprise, not er on Beacon Hill or elsewhere. “We were fortunate to be able to around us. Broken sidewalks, lit- noticed excessive trash in front even an hour after the first mes- Members also noted the benefits quickly move a handful of our can- ter, and graffiti only add to that of 180 Cambridge Street. I filed sage, I had another email stating of viewing art, photography and celled courses online last spring,” frustration. However, the City of a report on my phone with the other presentations on their own (BHCA Pg. 9) noted Bill Sherden, Beacon Hill resident and president of Beacon (BHS Pg. 5) How did Beacon Hill Vote? See Page 12 for Election story. PAGE 2 THE BEACON HILL TIMES SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 editorial ENJOY A SAFE LABOR DAY WEEKEND “Time and tide wait for no man,” wrote the poet. The summer of 2020 is entering its final week as we approach the traditional Labor Day weekend and once again the summer season has flown by much faster than any of us would have liked, especially during a time when we find ourselves being held hostage by a microscopic virus. But the calendar never lies and soon the summer of ‘20 will be just a memory. Ordinarily, our end-of-summer editorial recalls the happiness and joy that the summer months have brought us. But this era of a pandemic has forced all of us to abandon almost every aspect of our traditional summer rituals, both big and small and on both communal and personal levels. As this most awful of summer seasons winds down to just a few pre- cious days, we certainly understand the desire on the part of many (if not all of us) to just let it all out, so to speak: “If this is the last, let’s make it a blast!” But amidst the chaos in our lives, one thing that has not changed, and that requires even more urgency than usual, is our annual admonition to our readers to enjoy the Labor Day weekend safely. We certainly do not wish to rain on anyone’s parade, so to speak, but we would be remiss if we failed to urge our readers that if they intend to have a good time, they should do so safely, both for themselves and their loved ones. First and foremost, excessive drinking does not mix with anything -- whether it be boating, driving, water sports, hiking, bicycling, or just about any activity that requires some degree of coordination and obser- vance of the rules of safety. The news reports will be full of tragic stories over the weekend of those who died or were seriously injured in accidents that could have been avoided had excessive drinking not been involved. In addition, though this is a holiday weekend for us, we must remem- ber that the COVID-19 does not take a holiday. It always is lurking and seeking new victims who do not wear a face mask in public and who do not practice appropriate physical distancing at all times. We must do our part to ensure that none of our loved ones -- let alone ourselves -- are among the inevitable, sad statistics. LETTER TO THE EDITOR We wish all of our readers a happy -- and safe -- Labor Day weekend. A SUMMER OF CHAOS VIRUS INFECTION Public Health commission lumps ple in all of these neighborhoods RATES NOT Beacon Hill COVID data with the testing positive compared to the AND TRAGEDY North End, Back Bay, West End previous week. I have request- BROKEN DOWN BY and Downtown. It is not possible ed the breakdown for each these As America approached the Memorial Day weekend of 2020, the NEIGHBORHOOD to calculate any COVID data for neighborhoods on July 3 and have death toll from COVID-19 in the United States stood at just under To the Editor, only Beacon Hill.