Good morning,

Five years ago this summer, we changed our name from the Newton-Needham Chamber to the Charles River Regional Chamber to reflect our broader mission and footprint.      

We liked the name because the Charles connects Newton, Needham, Watertown and Wellesley. It also connects us to Boston, the economic engine that drives our region's economy.

Our name survived our expansion into Brookline this spring, too: the Charles doesn't abut Brookline, but the Muddy River is a tributary.

Now there's something else connecting our communities: the Boston Boundless Trail.

The new 90.9-mile walking loop starts and (just like our favorite river) finishes at Boston Harbor. Along the way, it passes through every one of our chamber communities. (Yes, even Wellesley, which gets in via Hemlock Gorge at Echo Bridge, where three of our communities converge.)

For even more walking ideas, I highly recommend the just-published Trail Guide from the Newton Conservators. The 68-page guide covers 28 open space sites — not all in Newton — and includes four color maps.  Buy it online or at Newtonville Books.

Better yet, when you join the nonprofit advocacy group, they'll send you the guide for free.

Unraveling Wellesley’s decision to sue the state

Wondering why the Wellesley Select Board sued the state this week over plans to build 180 homes on a MassBay parking lot, barely a month after 57% of Town Meeting members urged the board to negotiate first?

The board's statement doesn't really explain it. But the board member’s May 11 votes in their capacity as Town Meeting members might.

Only one of the five — Chair Marjorie Freiman — voted with the 57% in favor of negotiating.

Two others, Beth Sullivan Woods and Kenny Largess, sided with the 36% who wanted to head straight to court.

Tom Ulfelder and Colette Aufranc abstained. Which makes sense: Why should select board members vote on a nonbinding resolution solely meant to advise the select board?

Here’s what doesn't make sense: Why ask for Town Meeting's opinion if you weren't going to respect it?

T looks to step up bus service along busy Arsenal Street

On a typical weekday, more than 2,000 riders take the Route 70 bus along Arsenal Street in Watertown.

Now, as the city looks to add more housing and serve its life science workforce, it's working with the MBTA on new bus-priority infrastructure between Watertown Square and the Charles River, reports Christian MilNeil at Streets Blog Mass.

The 70 now runs every 10–15 minutes at weekday peak and every 20–30 minutes otherwise. Under the T's bus network redesign, it would run every 15 minutes or better, all day, every day.

The final open house on the project is this Sunday (June 14), 1 to 4 p.m. at the Watertown Free Library.

Three business leaders join the chamber's board

The Charles River Regional Chamber has elected three new directors to three-year terms.

• Joseph Frias, president and CEO, North Hill
• Andrea LaChance, director of sales and marketing, Hilton Garden Inn Boston/Brookline
• Susanne Salerno, founder and president, Salerno Consulting.

Learn about them here and join me in thanking them for stepping up to support our region’s businesses and nonprofits.

Friday grab bag

• The weekend of Aug. 8-9 will serve as this year's annual sales tax holiday. Collection of the 6.25 percent sales tax on most items that retail for less than $2,500 will be suspended. Some products are exempt.
  
  
• Congratulations to the universally loved Dunn Gaherin’s Food & Spirits, which celebrates 35 years this week.
  
  
• Here are some local restaurants and bars where you can watch the World Cup and 43 rules to follow when watching.
  
  
• Incumbent state Sen. Will Brownsberger and his challenger Daniel Lander engaged in their first debate of the season.  Wonkiness and insults ensued before a throng of 23.  (Cambridge/Somerville Independent)
  
  
• Lawyers for Civil Rights is hosting a multilingual online Know Your Rights Training for Businesses & Workers on Tuesday (June 16), 10 a.m. The session will provide practical guidance on workplace rights, immigration-related protections, and how businesses and workers can respond safely and legally to immigration enforcement situations. Register.
  
  
• A new Thai restaurant Chaba Cafe opens tomorrow on Cypress Street in Brookline. It replaces another Thai restaurant, So Kitchen.  (Boston Restaurants)
  
  
• The allergen-friendly food shop Twist Market is coming to 30 Wexford Street in Needham.  The business operates bakery-cafes in Burlington and Millis. (Needham Observer)
  
  
• A doggie kissing booth is up and running just off Moody Street in Waltham.  Hours vary. Slobbering likely. 100% satisfaction guaranteed. (NBC10)
  
  
• The new MassHealth work requirements are going to be more complicated than anyone imagined.  (Boston Globe)
  
  
• Watertown-based biotech Treeline Biosciences announced plans to go public through a merger with another publicly traded biotech company. The company is developing new therapies for cancer, neurological disorders and immune-related diseases and plans to keep its headquarters at Arsenal Yards. (Watertown BIO)
  
  
• The Needham commuter rail will have no weekend service June 13–14, with buses connecting to the Orange and Green Lines.
  
  
• Sustainable Wellesley hosts "Get a Scoop & the Scoop" on June 17,  6:30- 8:30 p.m. at the Hunnewell School, on the blacktop if it's nice, or inside if it isn't.
  
  
• Newton Asian Mart, the Asian supermarket in the former Walgreens space in Newton Centre, is finally approved to open after a stop-work order halted activity in late April. (Fig City News)
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• The neighbor of a proposed 40b housing development on Hammond Street in Chestnut Hill has agreed to drop a lawsuit that has held up the 103-unit project for nearly a year. (Brookline.News)
  
  
• Here’s an opportunity for businesses to share concerns about the high cost of credit card swipe fees. The MA Special Legislative Commission to Study the Future of Payments and Sales Transactions by Credit Card will hold its third hearing on Monday (June 15), 11 a.m.  Go here to email your legislators.
  
  
• Former Executive Director of the New Art Center Emily O'Neil highlights how unaffordable Newton is for most artists in Newton Beacon Op-Ed. O'Neil is the current co-chair of the chamber's Arts and Culture Committee.
  
  
• The early bird discount for our Brookline Night party, June 24, on the Hilton Garden Inn rooftop deck, expires on Monday.

Piccadilly Square sale might fetch $40 million

The five-building Piccadilly Square Portfolio in the heart of Newton Centre could fetch something in the "$40 million range," Jeremy Fried of 128CRE, the brokers on the deal, tells Bruce Henderson at Fig City News.

The properties — on Union Street, Langley Road and Beacon Street — have been controlled by Boston Development Group for five decades but are now hitting the market as President & CEO Jodi Zussman looks to retire.

And in an interview with Steve Adams at Banker & Tradesman, Fried suggested the pool of potential buyers is limited.

“It’s pretty management intensive because there are a ton of really small tenants, so it’s more of a generational hold type of buyer profile. There are only so many groups that can take on something like that,” Fried said.

"They are a wonderful landlord; everything's running properly. I feel optimistic that a new group is going to take care of us, as well," Carla Wahnon of Carla Shaw Sustainable Design told Fig City.

Meanwhile, Union Street hosts a one-time Farmers' Market tomorrow (June 12), 9:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m., with more than 25 vendors. Details

That’s what you need to know for today — the tenth anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub slayings in Orlando — unless you need to know that you have no idea what a trillion dollars is.

P.S. The chamber office is closed today as we’re at our sold-out Women’s Conference. Max Woolf will be here on Tuesday.  Have a great weekend. 

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

I value your feedback

Max Woolf contributed to today’s newsletter.