John O’Toole (fourth from left) was presented with a Boston Police Department certificate that commends his actions in identifying a bank robbery suspect last month. O’Toole is a past president of the Cedar Grove Civic Association. Kristina Carroll photoThe Cedar Grove Civic Association’s February meeting touched upon a variety of topics on Tuesday evening, including updates on DCR projects, a conversation about climate change’s effect on community flooding and recognition of its former leader for an act of bravery.

Boston Police Lt. Detective Tom Hopkins presented an award to former CGCA president John O’Toole for his actions during a recent armed robbery at the Meetinghouse Bank on Dorchester Avenue. O’Toole, who was present when a man pulled a gun out from his sweatshirt and demanded money from the tellers, took several photos of the suspect and the getaway car.

“He chased the guy out and took a picture of his plate, unarmed,” said current Cedar Grove Civic Association president Lauren Woods, who is also a Boston Police officer. “Not even thinking about his own safety, he just sprung into action. So it’s pretty amazing as a police officer hearing he did all that.”

When officers brought O’Toole into the station and presented him with photos of several different people, he was able to positively identify the suspect.

“It’s very hard to do that,” Lt. Hopkins said. “We were shocked that he was going to be able to make the identification, and he did.”

Along with a plaque awarded to him by the Boston Police, O’Toole was also honored by Councillor-at-Large Annissa Essaibi-George on behalf of Boston City Council, and by Rep. Dan Hunt on behalf of Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo.

Following the awards ceremony, Hunt spoke about several pieces of legislative news, including a still-emerging plan to modernize Morrissey Boulevard (see article, page 1). The project, which would end up costing a total of around $40 million, is what Hunt calls a “big ticket item.” He said lawmakers hope to see it included in Governor Baker’s capital budget this year, which should be released any time now.

“What that means is that over the next probably 18 months, they’ll design down to the inch and everything, how high they have to bring up the roadway, what it’s going to look like,” Hunt said. “That’s our opportunity to have public input.”

A public meeting will be held to discuss the Morrissey Boulevard project, and Hunt said it would either happen in late February or early March.

Hunt also offered updates on legislation passed by the House to toughen the state’s response to the opioid crisis.

“Two years ago, when we passed [the original] bill, it mandated coverage for treatment facilities—14 days plus coming out of treatment—and we’ve seen over the last two years, a number of times when that just doesn’t happen,” said Rep. Hunt. “So this bill builds on that, reinforces treatment as covered by insurance, limits first time opioid prescription to seven days, and doesn’t carve out for chronic care.”

A second bill that was just passed deals with the public records law, and problems with agencies not complying with the law. The new bill, according to Hunt, now allows people and news organizations to hold agencies accountable, and essentially take them to court for denying public records. Hunt said both bills are currently in conference committee, and will most likely be finalized by the end of the two-year term, which is July 31.

Hunt also discussed plans to renovate Toohig Park, by replacing the fencing, and creating a playground that could also potentially include workout equipment.

To elaborate further on the issue of community flooding in Dorchester, Boston Harbor Association representative Daniel Perez spoke about the importance of climate change preparedness and awareness.

“If you think back to something like last year’s blizzards in February, those clearly had a lot of impact around the city with MBTA closings, people just being isolated in their own homes,” Perez said. “Ultimately we feel as though people have a lot of those things to share, and that might not make its way to city officials or representatives.”

The Boston Harbor Association is planning an event in order to promote a conversation between local community members about the issue of climate change and its direct effect on Boston’s neighborhoods.
“What we’re hoping to get together is people from around the city […] all to come together, share a little bit about the things they’ve encountered during those past extreme weather events, and think about ways to learn something from them going forward,” Perez said.

The event will be held on Saturday, March 12 from 1-4 p.m. The location is still to be determined, but is expected to be announced by the end of this week.

Following Perez’ presentation, Michelle Crowe of the City of Boston’s Environmental Department spoke to Dorchester residents about the city’s most recent flood maps, which will go into effect on March 16. She encouraged residents to check whether their homes fell under the updated flood zones, because those affected only have a short amount of time before flood insurance rates skyrocket.

To conclude the meeting, Woods informed community members of several upcoming events, including an 80th celebration fundraiser for CGCA. The tentative date is for April and the CGCA is asking past presidents or anyone with a history of involvement with the association to share pictures from past meetings and events.