A Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you all enjoyed a safe and wonderful Christmas holiday season and a fun-filled New Year’s celebration as well.
The month of December brought an end to the year as we here at the Chamber wrapped things up on our calendar as well. We finished the year with a strong showing at our December monthly Breakfast Club, hosted a successful Holiday networking event at the Dockside, completed another successful season of Shop Local Saturdays and wrapped up the Bonus Bucks for Broadway promotion!
We would also like to “CONGRATULATE’ one of our Chamber members, Steve Castraberti, of
Prince Pizzeria on being selected and honored by the Retailers Association of Massachusetts as the 2021 Restaurant of the Year! Please join us in wishing Steve and his wife Trisha the very best and continued success in the years ahead.
A bright ending to another successful Wakefield Lynnfield Chamber of Commerce calendar year!
As we look ahead, we would like to take moment and ask you to help us and participate in a quick survey to assist us on our planning of events for the near future.
However, as one year ends and we all look forward to the start of a successful year for 2022, we begin start the year continuing to face the challenge of COVID! So we will address our local response to COVID and other upcoming action items to be aware of.
Wakefield Board of Health – Mask Mandate
COVID concerns are not new and are certainly not concerns confined just for the community of Wakefield. But because the impact and effect of COVID can be so dangerous to the lives of all around us, responsible actions need to be taken to ensure public safety, Due to the sharp increases in Covid-19 cases, and the recent Omicron surge, The Wakefield Board of Health has voted on an indoor mask mandate for all individuals ages 5 and over. As we move forward in the months to come, we will continue to keep you abreast of the actions taken by our local Town officials as best we can. Be sure to click on the link below for full details.
Town By-Laws restricting Foam Polystyrene (Styrofoam)
As many of you should be aware by now, Wakefield residents voted at Wakefield’s November 7, 2020 Town Meeting to pass two articles that may impact how you conduct business in Wakefield. They aim to reduce the environmental impact of foam polystyrene (Styrofoam)
Although the bylaws went into effect on June 30, 2021, businesses were given a six-month grace period to learn, ask questions, and use up any inventory they had. Read this overview or watch this short video to learn more.
Enforcement of these bylaws begins January 1, 2022. If you feel your business is not ready to comply, you must fill out a
waiver request which will be reviewed by Town Administrator Stephen Maio.
Your waiver must be received by December 31, 2021.
Family and Medical Leave Act
A lot has happened since the last Department of Family and Medical Leave quarterly briefing. We feel it important that we (the Chamber) provide you a notice of these changes and bring to your attention how to best access the information regarding these changes.
The following link will help you reach the most recent updates available to educate and guide you and your employees through PFML.
Department of Family and Medical Leave
Thank you all once again for continuing to support the Chamber. We look forward to another year together and hopefully a much healthier and prosperous one for all!
Be safe everyone,
John
