Members of the ‘1975: A Vietnamese Diaspora Memorial’ project appeared at the Fields Corner Civic Association (FCCA) in February to officially present their project to the group, getting rave reviews and support for locating somewhere on Town Field.

A community petition started about one month ago already has more than 600 signatures to show a wave of support for the memorial and for it to be sited in Town Field, said organizers.

“We’re getting a lot of momentum and support for this,” said Linh-Phong Vu, one of the organizers.

“It’s not a fun project,” she continued. “It’s a memorial to remember. The community has been here for 50 years, and we don’t have a memorial for the Vietnamese diaspora community here. That’s an issue and a need and we’re looking forward to making this happen.”

Above: Some of the proposed sites in Town Field for the memorial.

The project is run by a collaboration of community organizers including Ngoc-Tran Vu, Linh-Phong Vu, Kathy Le, Debbie Nguyen, Tommy Nguyen, and Loi Huynh. The idea is to locate a memorial to those that came to Dorchester from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon, and those who never made it as well. A push is on this year, hence the forming of the effort, to honor the Vietnamese Americans who came here as they get older and some have already passed away, said Linh Vu.

The group noted they are entering Stage 3 of their efforts, which is to permit and choose a site for the memorial – with the preferred site being Town Field and a potential alternate site on Hero Square at the confluence of Adams and Dorchester Avenue.

Right now, the group hasn’t heard any definite answers from the city as to whether their memorial will be included in the upcoming redesign of Town Field, and that is a key reason for the petition and the publicity.

“Right now, it’s at a standstill,” said Ngoc-Tran Vu, the artist who designed the memorial. “There’s not much progress…It’s not a pushback but a period where things are in flux. The petition is to show our numbers and build us up to where it’s known this is a priority. It’s at a standstill now where many things are happening.”

She said specifically they want the city to know the memorial is a priority in the Town Field renovation plans, and that the city will confirm it will be in the plans for the new park.

Linh-Phong Vu also pointed out that the proposed sites on Town Field will not eat into any existing recreation areas like the softball field or basketball courts – and noted that ADSL is on board with them.

“I agree that it should be placed in a location that does it most justice – a space that can be shared,” said FCCA President Shamia Hicks.

The plan is to install a temporary memorial this summer in Town Field as a preview of the permanent design that they hope will come later with the park renovation. The next big milestone for the 1975 organization will be marking Black Friday on April 26 – the 50th year since the fall of Saigon and the beginning of the Vietnamese American diaspora in places like Dorchester. The event is expected to draw 500 to 700 people.

FIELDS CORNER NOTEBOOK

ZEB BOUTIQUE CANNABIS DISPENSARY – The proposal to locate a cannabis dispensary at the corner of Dorchester Avenue and Park Street remains a contested issue in the neighborhood. Zeb Boutique co-owner Dru Ledbetter reported the operation received unanimous approval from the Boston Cannabis Board in January, and they are waiting on a hearing date from the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). It is expected they will return to the March FCCA meeting for more discussion of their proposal, which has opposition from the abutting Buddhist Temple and Vietnamese organizations. FCCA leaders noted that since the proposal, the organization has increased its voting membership by more than 160 people.

ELECTIONS – The FCCA held an uneventful election process during its February meeting, unanimously agreeing to keep all officers in place. They include President Shamia Hicks, Vice President Judy Collier, Secretary Jim Doyle, and Treasurer Hiep Chu.

POLICE MATTERS – Capt. Steve Sweeney reported that a stolen car used in a daytime shooting at the corner of Bowdoin and Geneva in January was found near Fields Corner on Westville Street recently. It had been stolen from Belgrade Avenue in Roslindale and encountered a car from Randolph at the corner around 5 p.m. Both cars fired weapons at one another during a very busy time of the day, but no one was hurt, Sweeney said.

Larcenies from area stores have driven up crime stats in C-11 for several months, but Capt. Sweeney noted a new strategic technique he’s deployed (specifics being withheld) has cut the numbers of larcenies in half.

WHITE STADIUM SNUB - Members of FCCA remain frustrated that demolition of White Stadium has already begun, and they have yet to hear from anyone from the city or the soccer team about transportation plans that involve Fields Corner.

Early plans for the team include shuttle buses that would run from Fields Corner Station to Franklin Park on game days. There are proposed to be about 30 shuttles operating from Fields Corner Station and Four Corners Station on about 20 Saturdays through the spring, summer and fall.

“We haven’t been able to get anyone from the city or from the MBTA yet,” said Chu. “I know the stadium is coming in about two years and all the buses will come to Fields Corner Station…There are still a lot of questions we need to consider and the impacts. We need to know if 10,000 people would come through and stop at local businesses or just come here and move on. We need to understand what to do if they all come here and park and jump on the bus.”

PARKING STUDY – Jackey West Devine, director of Fields Corner Main Street, reported that all of the data for last year’s requested parking study has been collected, according to the city. The data will help neighbors and businesses understand what can be done to prevent all-day parking by commuters – a long-standing problem in Fields Corner. One solution floated has been to add parking meters.

“The data has been collected but not analyzed yet,” she said.

City officials said results of the study would be folded into the Squares + Streets re-zoning effort for Fields Corner, with those efforts already underway.

MAIN STREETS LIGHTING INITIATIVE – The Fields Corner Main Streets will begin working on a lighting initiative to bring more light and more decorative lighting to Fields Corner. The effort will be much like the asphalt mural that was put in place last summer but will have to be on a faster timeline due to the money coming from the federal government with an expiration date near.

WOMEN QUEENS DAY – the annual tribute to women warriors in Vietnamese history (Tr’ung Queens/Women’s Day) will take place on March 9, noon, in the Elevator Union building, 50 Park St.