Dear West Roxbury Community,
I first want to extend my thoughts and sympathies to the individuals and families in West Roxbury and around the city who are being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. In the past week, we have all witnessed the surge in event and public gathering cancellations across the U.S. to help create social distancing and prevent outbreaks of the virus. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), these measures, along with the quarantines that have worked in Asia, will need to be amplified around the world.
West Roxbury is certainly not immune, and many impacts at the neighborhood-level are already being encountered. Over the past week, I have talked with several West Roxbury business-owners who are noticing a sizable decrease in customers and purchases. Parking spaces are noticeably more vacant along Centre Street. We are committed to helping small businesses during this situation and are working hard to understand how business is being impacted and how we can support them. We hope that the community will continue to patronize our small businesses and restaurants in West Roxbury as you
take the
necessary precautions for your own health and public safety
.
Many of the public events that our community looks forward to each year, such as Health Kids Day, Music On Centre, and Taste of West Roxbury have all been postponed. We have also postponed the inaugural ArtWalk on Centre that was planned for May. A full list of postponed or cancelled events can be found below. It is likely that more will follow suit.
As the crisis grows, our local community will be tasked with unprecedented cooperation as we join together with the rest of the city, state and country to slow the rate of infection and achieve a speedy, enduring end to this worldwide pandemic. As a community, we’ll have to adopt new norms and ways of working over the next several months and all do our individual part in promoting personal hygiene and practices.
There is no sugarcoating it...adversity lies ahead. But in this moment I am reminded of a quote from one of my favorite adventurers, Erik Weihenmayer, who is completely blind and climbed Mt Everest among other amazing feats. He says “You don’t just deal with adversity. You use it to propel you forward.” Faced with this collective adversity, we must embrace a Weihenmayer-esq mental fortitude, seeking ways to propel ourselves and each other forward. So I hope you’ll share with WRMS your own stories of people caring for each other during these challenging times -- We’ll post them in upcoming newsletters to share with the community.
We will also do our best to keep you up to date on information and resources for the Main Street district and its businesses. Though it will not be business as usual for some time, I know that our Parkway community’s remarkable resilience will guide us as we come together, care for one another, and rebound back to a thriving and vibrant community that’s stronger than ever.
In the meantime, you can always find accurate information and local updates about COVID-19 at
boston.gov/coronavirus
or by calling
Mayor Walsh’s Hotline at 617-534-5050
.
Be safe. Stay informed. Remain Boston Strong.
Best,
Jacob Robinson
Executive Director
West Roxbury Main Streets
