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NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING TO DISCUSS PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AT 200 BOSTON AVE.

April 5, 2021Community Development

The City of Medford and Cummings Properties, long-time operator of the property at 200 Boston Ave., invite all interested community members to a neighborhood meeting on Wednesday, April 14th at 6:00pm to discuss the proposed expansion of life sciences facilities at the site. At the meeting, City staff and officials from Cummings Properties will discuss the proposed development, plans for the site, and impacts to the community including traffic, construction, and benefits. The City and Cummings Properties will collect feedback from attendees and abutters to regarding the project.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 14th, at 6pm, via Zoom. For the Zoom link and call-in information, visit the City’s events calendar at www.medfordma.org/city-events.

If you are interested in learning more about the project but are unable to attend the meeting, please contact Viktor Schrader at the Office of Community Development at 781-393-2481.

Medford Chamber of Commerce

Published by John Costas14 mins

CITY OF MEDFORD ANNOUNCES SMALL BUSINESS & MICROENTERPRISE RELIEF GRANT PROGRAMS
by Jackie Piques

CITY OF MEDFORD ANNOUNCES SMALL BUSINESS & MICROENTERPRISE RELIEF GRANT PROGRAMS

$450,000 available to support local businesses.

MEDFORD - Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn and Medford’s Office of Community Development announce two grant programs for small businesses impacted by COVID-19. The “City of Medford Small Business and Microenterprise Relief Grant Programs” are now open for applicants. These programs are intended to assist Medford businesses with challenges around their ability to remain open (or re-open as permitted) and with employee retention in the wake of the global health crisis.

The two programs, totaling $450,000 in relief, will aid in the stabilization of small businesses within the City that have experienced adverse economic impacts due to COVID-19. Program funds may be used by businesses to cover commercial rent or mortgage, employee wages, resources to establish a business’s presence online, and other operating expenses. Additional funding may be released at a later date; details will be released once they are confirmed.

The Microenterprise Relief Grant is open to businesses with five or fewer employees (including the owner) to apply. The Small Business Relief Grant application is available to businesses with six or more employees (including the owner). Applicants may apply for up to $10,000.

For those who are interested, applications to both programs will be accepted through May 31, 2020. To apply for grants for a Microenterprise, visit https://tinyurl.com/MedfordMicroLoan. To apply for grants for small businesses, visit https://tinyurl.com/MedfordSmallBusiness. Please contact Medford’s Office of Community Development at 781-393-2480 or ocd@medford-ma.gov with any questions.

This program is made possible by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and applicants must meet certain eligibility requirements. These requirements are more thoroughly discussed in the application instructions, some highlights are numbered below. The City of Medford will rank applicants based on pre-determined criteria including but not limited to: women-, veteran-, and minority-owned businesses, brick-and-mortar establishments, businesses who have not yet received financial aid from other sources, and businesses that were required to close under COVID-19 emergency orders.

Eligible Applicants

The business must be a for-profit enterprise
Have a physical establishment within the City of Medford OR belong to a resident of Medford but not have a physical establishment in another municipality
Have no outstanding tax liens or legal judgements
Have been operating in the City of Medford for at least 6 months
Have a business license on file with the Medford City Clerk OR have a license to operate your business with the Commonwealth OR have a credential/license to operate from a professional governing body, if applicable.

Ineligible Applicants

Medford residents who own a storefront in a municipality outside of Medford
Non-profit organizations
Marijuana establishments

Medford city services are available to all residents, regardless of economic situation, immigration status, ability, benefit eligibility, or religious affiliation.
Jackie Piques | May 17, 2020 at 7:25 pm | Categories: City Alerts | URL: http://www.medfordma.org/?p=17496
Cheryl White Scholarship
CITY OF MEDFORD AND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCE “COVID-19 RELIEF FUND”

Community fund established to support local restaurants and neighbors in need of food during COVID-19 crisis.

MEDFORD – Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn and the Medford Chamber of Commerce announce the launch of the “COVID-19 Relief Fund”. With the help of community and in-kind donations, the Fund will support both local businesses and community members in need during the COVID-19 public health crisis.

Through Venmo, GoFundMe, and checks mailed to the Medford Chamber of Commerce, community donations will provide monetary support to local restaurants who will then cook meals to be provided free to community members in need via local nonprofits.

Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said the idea for the relief fund came after learning of the generosity of a resident to a local restaurant to make 90 meals for our senior citizens last week. “Despite the impact that the COVID-19 health crisis is having on small businesses, those who have the means to do so have shown incredible goodwill to their community members and stepped up to the plate, literally, to provide food to residents in need. I know that so many have been feeling the strain as a result of the pandemic, but I’ve also heard from business owners and residents alike who are eager to volunteer or to help their neighbors in so many different ways. It’s my hope that this relief fund will provide some critically needed assistance to our community members most in need and provide a bit of cash flow to our restaurants and take out establishments.”

“The Chamber of Commerce is proud to be part of this program. With everyone's help and support we can move past this epidemic and prosper again,” said Medford Chamber of Commerce President John Costas.

Participating restaurants, who can enroll by emailing John Costas, President of the Medford Chamber of Commerce, at jcostas@medfordelectronics.com will be encouraged to determine a fixed menu for organizations to order from when fulfilling meal orders for the residents they serve. For example, a donation of 25$ could provide a family of four with a locally cooked dinner, or a donation of $1,000 could feed up to 100 senior citizens who may currently be unable to leave their homes, while in both scenarios, the business still retains a portion of the donation to support the restaurant itself.

HOW TO DONATE

There are three ways to donate:
HOW TO ENROLL IN THE PROGRAM

If you are a Medford restaurant and would like to enroll to be part of the relief program, email John Costas at jcostas@medfordelectronics.com .

If you are a non-profit organization currently serving Medford residents and would like additional information on receiving meals for your constituents, email Covid19info@medford-ma.gov .

In addition to the relief fund program, the City of Medford and its community partners have been sponsoring Grab n’ Go food options over the last four weeks to serve community members in need with meals and groceries. For a full list of organizations and locations, visit www.medfordma.org/food-resources-in-medford .

Jackie Piques

Director of Communications

City of Medford

Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn

781-888-4534

www.medfordma.org
Information from The City of Medford that applies to all
businesses re: emergency programs

Hello,

We received this information from Secretary Kennealy of the MA Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development, it is compiled from both their emails and what they shared on a phone call with Business Associations and Municipal Staff today (April 3^th).

For each of the programs below, be aware that lenders are still working on getting the information they need from the Federal Government. It is recommended to contact your lender and let them know you’re interested, but please be patient if they indicate they need a few days to be ready to take applications.

For each program it is strongly recommended that you speak first with the bank that you have a relationship with first, as this will make the process smoother. However, if your business does not currently have a lending relationship with a bank, or does not have a relationship with a bank giving these loans, you may contact a different bank.

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a loan program designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep workers on the payroll. Loans are up to $10M, with a 0.5% interest rate and a 2-year maturity; there are no payments for the first six months.

·        Who can apply? Businesses, non-profits, Veterans organizations, Tribal concerns, sole proprietorships, self-employed individuals, and independent contractors, with 500 or fewer employees.

·        When can I apply? The Paycheck Protection Program will be available beginning on Friday, April 3rd. Applications must be submitted by June 30, 2020.

·        How do I apply? You can apply for the Paycheck Protection Program through any existing SBA 7(a) lender or through any participating federally insured depository institution, federally insured credit union, or Farm Credit institution. Ask your local lender if it is participating in the program.

·        What else should I know? The SBA will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities. The program will be available retroactive from February 15, 2020, so employers can rehire their recently laid-off employees through June 30, 2020.

·        Read more here: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/paycheck-protection-program-ppp#section-header-4

·        Retroactive through end of February, so you can re-hire people let go during March and take advantage of this.

·        Supposed to open today (April 4^th), but there are delays because guidance to banks is still coming out today

The Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance is a Loan Advance of up to $10,000 that is available to applicants who have been approved for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan; it does not need to be repaid, so you can think of the Advance as a grant for business expenses. [This may be $1,000 per employee, up to $10,000]

·        Who can apply? If you have applied or intend to apply to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, you can also apply for a Loan Advance.

·        When can I apply? The Loan Advance is available now.

·        How do I apply? Visit the SBA’s website to submit an application for the Economic Disaster Injury Loan and Loan Advance.

·        What else should I know? Please note that you should submit an application at the above link, even if you’ve previously submitted an EIDL application prior to the Loan Advance being available.

·        Read more here: https://www.sba.gov/page/disaster-loan-applications#section-header-0

The SBA is also offering Debt Relief to small businesses. Under this relief, the SBA will pay the principal and interest for six months beginning March 27^th, 2020 for qualifying new and current holders of 7(a) loans.

·        Who can apply? Businesses who already have a covered 7(a) SBA loan or receive a 7(a) SBA loan prior to September 27, 2020.

·        When can I apply? This relief is applied for covered loans beginning with payments due after March 27, 2020.

·        How do I apply? Reach out to your SBA lender to discuss how this debt relief applies to your SBA loan.

·        What else should I know? This debt relief is available only to 7(a) loans and not to loans made under the Paycheck Protection Program, 504 loans, or microloans.

·        Read more here: https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources#section-header-4

Don’t forget that you can still apply for two other Small Business Administration loan programs:

·        Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available through the SBA website; apply here. EIDL loans can be up to $2M, with interest rates of 3.75%, and are for businesses whose revenues were adversely impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.

·        The Express Bridge Loan Program is available to businesses that have an existing business relationship with an SBA-approved lender; speak to your lender about accessing this option while you await a decision on long-term financing.

Alicia L Hunt

Acting Director of Community Development

Director of Energy & Environment

Environmental Agent

City of Medford

City Hall, Room 205

85 George P. Hassett Dr.

Medford, MA 02155

Ahunt@medford-ma.gov

(w) 781-393-2480

http://www.medfordma.org/departments/energy-and-environment/

http://gogreenmedford.com/

Twitter: @GoGreenMedford

https://www.facebook.com/GoGreenMedford
To All business

This morning I was on a conference call with Mayor Breanna Lungo-Kern, Chief of Staff David Rodrigues, State Representative Paul Donato, State Representative Christine Barber, State Representative Sean Garballey and other Representatives from the City and State delegation. The purpose of the Chamber invitation to the conference was to give an update of what the concerns and questions are from the businesses in Medford. Over the past week I have communicated with a lot of Medford businesses and they all had the same concerns as well as some specific issues. The majority of the concerns were, of course, financial and funding availability as well as how to apply for it. Based on our meeting the City and State are working tirelessly to create and push through legislation while doing everything they can to get the funds out. The state is constantly updating their website daily and recommends monitoring what they are doing. This web address for businesses is as follows : https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-guidance-and-directives#businesses-&-employment-

Also, the acting director of The Medford Community Development office is working on CDBG funding to help the businesses of Medford. The Mayor and her staff are working constantly to help get us through this pandemic

Last week, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law to address the economic impacts of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Senator Markey set up a zoom conference call and would like to hear directly from small business owners about their needs at this time. Please join us today at 5PM for this discussion. Call in: 646-558-8656 Meeting ID: 242 963 688.

Any questions or comments after the conference call should be directed to Claire Teylouni at this emailaddress.(claire_teylouni@markey.senate.gov) or call 617-565-85199
Our Mission

The Medford Chamber’s Mission is to assist business and public interests throughout the local community, whether it is now or in the future. The chamber is poised to promote local businesses in their efforts to succeed, and encourage business-to-business exchanges and to volunteer the services of our member resources whenever and wherever they may be needed. It is our objective for Medford to have progressive, orderly and planned future development; to meet the needs of all its citizens for services, facilities and economic well-being. Above all, we wish to keep Medford a wonderful and safe place to live, work, and most importantly, to do business.

⇒Enjoy the Benefits of being a Chamber member
From the President of the Medford Chamber of Commerce

HELP!!!

The Medford Chamber of Commerce is reaching out to our members who use surgical masks and other personal protection equipment, for any member or non member who uses this type of medical equipment, can you please give them to a caregivers organization, such as Hallmark VNA, Visiting Nurse and Community Care, Melrose Wakefield Hospital or any other healthcare facility. They are all in need of MASKS to assist their patients.

Also

Please warn all your family, friends, neighbors and anyone else with whom you speak, to avoid the phone scams and remind them that if anyone is looking to have money sent to them via Credit Card or any other form of currency, to just say NO and hang up the phone

Also

Below is a link to all the Medford restaurants offering take out and deliveries.

I would like to thank all the people who are supporting these businesses and ask everyone else to support our local businesses.

Whether it’s a small or large business, this crisis will be very difficult to overcome and when it’s finally over we will need these businesses to restore our economy.

http://medfordchamberma.com/restaurants-with-take-out

Please forward this email to your family and friends.

We are also posting updates on the Chamber Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MedfordMAChamber/

Best Regards John Costas

President of Medford Chamber of Commerce
Message From

Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn

Dear Valued Local Businesses:

In the midst of the Coronavirus public health crisis, we have had to make some incredibly difficult decisions in the best interests of our community. The best and most important thing we can do to slow the spread of the Conoravirus is to enforce social distancing measures, limiting the opportunities for individuals to contract the disease, even from individuals who may not be experiencing symptoms but who could be carriers.

Setting aside for a moment the grave concerns I have for the health of our residents, particularly our most vulnerable populations, I am also acutely aware of the impacts this pandemic and the resulting temporary restrictions have had and will continue to have on your business. It's my sincere hope that by putting bold measures in place now, we can effectively and efficiently slow the spread of the Coronavirus and return to business as usual as soon as possible.

In the meantime we need to take bold action to address the needs of and impacts to our community during this crisis. Earlier this week I declared a Local State of Emergency that will be crucial in helping us secure additional resources and funding and seek reimbursements for actions we deem necessary in addressing COVID-19 in Medford. Yesterday, after very careful consideration, I issued a supplemental order that, effective Saturday, March 21, 2020, all businesses and entities, both public and private, that provide personal care services are to be closed until at least April 6, 2020. This includes, but is not limited to, hair salons, barber shops, nail salons, tattoo parlors, massage parlors, gyms, health clubs, theaters, entertainment venues, and social clubs. You can find the full text of the order HERE.

Again, these are not actions I or the Board of Health take lightly. We understand there are very real impacts to our businesses, but they are necessary in addressing this public health crisis. By limiting the number of places where groups of people can gather and where the virus can easily spread on common surfaces, we’re doing our part to slow the spread of COVID-19, flatten the curve in terms of increases in cases, and help our health care facilities in their ability to serve those most in need of critical care. Many of our area hospitals are already reporting that they’re at or reaching capacity. It’s critical that we take measures to slow the spread of the disease, NOW.

Most importantly, I want to thank you for all of the hard work each of you dedicate to the Medford community. Our local businesses are some of the most important resources to our community both in terms of the goods and services you provide and in terms of the true value you bring to this city. We have a tough road ahead of us but we will get through it together.

Sincerely,

Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn
Message From

Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn

In light of this evening's updates and guidance from Governor Baker, the City of Medford is updating its policies and closures, including working with our Chamber of Commerce to communicate with local businesses about the Governor's restrictions on gathering in food service establishments. We'll also be extending the closure of our public schools through at least April 7, but will have more information within the next 24 hours.

We know that this will be a challenging few weeks. We are in the midst of an unprecedented public health crisis and while we urge everyone to remain calm and plan ahead, there are situations that we need to continue to address in the immediate term, like providing for students, families, and vulnerable populations who may not otherwise have access to food during this time, or offering guidance and resources for child care. The City's Emergency Action Teams are working around the clock on these and many other issues and we will post updates as they emerge from each team over the coming days and weeks.

What we need to do now is to work together to slow the spread of this novel Coronavirus. We can do this mainly by staying out of close contact with other individuals, which is why the Governor and local communities are putting these types of measures in place. We don't take these actions lightly. There is sobering news out of countries like Italy, where the number of positive cases and the inability of their health care systems to adequately treat those in need is staggering. We're working to prevent a sharp increase in cases here in the U.S. by taking bold action now. We urge everyone to follow the guidelines issued by the Governor and the City of Medford.

Updates will be posted at medfordma.org as they are available.

Thank you. We are, as always, here to support and assist the community as we work through this challenging time.
COVID-19 Resources and Guidance for Businesses

The Baker-Polito Administration is committed to partnering with the business community to navigate the outbreak of COVID-19.

The below resources list for businesses was last updated 3/16/20.

Table of Contents

Small Business Recovery Loan Fund

MEMA’s Emergency Operations Center’s Private Sector Hotline

Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program

Emergency Order re: gatherings of more than 25 and restaurants and bars

Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development Resources

Click the link below for more information

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-resources-and-guidance-for-businesses
February 12, 2020 3PM

Ribbon Cutting

GENTLE DENTAL

23 Riverside Ave.

Medford, MA 02155
Colleen's 61 High Street Medford, MA
Thursday February 13, 2020 6PM-10PM

C.B. Scoops 453 High Street Medford, MA

You are cordially invited to an open house to

celebrate our10 year anniversary.
Wednesday February 26th at 4pm

Liv's Juice & Acai Bar

Ribbon Cutting
It Is That Time Of the Year To Choose the "Citizen Of The Year".
- The Mystic
- Wright's Pond
- Medford Square
- Potter Building - Salem Street
Medford Chamber of Commerce wishes you all

the Happiest of Holidays!

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Our Citizen of the Year Alumni - Annual Banquet 2018
Back, left to right: Annette Hunt, Judy Lonergan, Mary Marquebreuck, Dr. Lorenzo Lepore, Jack Dempsey, Rick Orlando, Patricia McDonough,Patrick Theberge

Front, left to right: Domenic Camarra, George White, Vincent DiClemente, Mike Hayes, Cheryl Delafano, John Costas, Dorothy Newman Burke,

Janice Iannessa, Marty Murphy and Robert Rosselli

For a complete list of COTY Alumni, click the COTY tab at the top of the page.

Photo by Douglas Shoop Photography
Our Board of Directors - Annual Banquet 2018
Back, left to right: Domenic Camarra, John Costas, John Veneziano- President, Tina Caruso, Stephen Pompeo, Fredrick Dello Russo and Justin Lasko

Front, left to right: Patricia McGovern, Rosemary Ardagno, Charlotte Scuderi, Judy Lonergan, Rocco DiRico and Sam Tarabelsi

Directors not in Photo: Maria Faretra- Executive Director, Denise Baker, Jay Campbell, Maury Carroll, Paul Donato and David Koehn

Photo by Douglas Shoop Photography

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♦♦♦ PLATINUM SPONSORS ♦♦♦

Medford Chamber of Commerce

Our Mission

COVID-19 Resources and Guidance for Businesses

Table of Contents

You are cordially invited to an open house to

celebrate our10 year anniversary.

Upcoming Events

New & Renewing Members

Chamber Gold Sponsors

Chamber Business Directory