Renovations get underway at Chelsea’s Kayem Park
Construction at Kayem Park in Chelsea was scheduled to begin this week as part of the city’s annual park renovation program.
The project will bring a range of new features to the neighborhood park on Chestnut Street, including modern playground equipment for children ages 2–5 and 5–12, a misting station, artistic shade sail, new benches and picnic tables, permeable pavers, additional trees, and native landscaping.
Kayem Park serves a neighborhood surrounded by important community destinations, including The Salvation Army Chelsea Corps Community Center and the Browne Middle School, and provides year-round recreational space for residents.
The project is funded through a Fiscal Year 2026 Massachusetts Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) Grant.
The state PARC grant is a reimbursable grant of up to $425,000.
The total estimated cost of the project is $825,000, with the council having previously appropriated $400,000 for it through the FY26 capital improvement plan, City Manager Fidel Maltez had previously stated.
The city manager said the park will serve the city’s youth, offer older residents a place to rest in the shade, mitigate heat and poor air quality, and increase the quality of life for residents in one of the densest areas of the city.
Department of Fire Services Launches Hot Work Violation Database
The Department of Fire Services has launched a new, public-facing database to document violations of the State Fire Code and Massachusetts General Laws regarding welding, grinding, and other hot work processes.
On June 26, 2026, Governor Maura Healey signed into law Chapter 114 of the Acts of 2026, An Act Relative to Violation of Regulation Regarding Hot Work Processes. The law, which took effect Saturday, is one of several pieces of legislation that arose out of the 2014 fire that claimed the lives of Boston Fire Lieutenant Edward J. Walsh and Firefighter Michael Kennedy. The blaze started with unpermitted hot work, with sparks or slag igniting a nearby shed and growing to nine alarms. More than a dozen other firefighters were injured.
Local fire departments can impose a variety of sanctions in connection with hot work violations. In accordance with the new law, DFS now collects information on these violations from local departments, notifies property owners and the violators’ insurance providers, and makes the violations public in a searchable database. It was developed with input from the DFS Code Compliance & Enforcement Unit, Executive Office of Public Safety & Security, and Fire Prevention Association of Massachusetts.
The database will be populated in the weeks and months to come as local departments submit their enforcement actions to DFS. It can be viewed on the DFS website, along with other hot work safety information.
Since 2018, anyone seeking a municipal permit to perform, supervise, or delegate hot work must first demonstrate that they have completed a training program approved by the State Fire Marshal’s office. The training identifies the safety and prevention practices necessary to comply with the State Fire Code. Performing hot work without a permit, without the necessary training, or without complying with the Fire Code can lead to notices, citations, tickets, or other forms of enforcement. Local fire departments will notify the Department of Fire Services of these sanctions, which are automatically provided to stakeholders and uploaded weekly into the database.
Final boarding call for Voice of Logan
The search for the Voice of Logan is entering its final stretch. Since being announced two weeks ago, the Voice of Logan contest has taken Massachusetts by storm. As of today, over 3,225 Bay Staters have submitted auditions, from Pittsfield to Boston and Methuen to Edgartown. But time is running out if you want to submit—the deadline is Sunday, October 4 at midnight.
Following the close of submissions, a selection committee and the public will help determine who becomes the next Voice of Logan according to the following schedule:
• October 4: Submission period closes.
• October 5-18: A selection committee reviews all entries and selects five finalists who best embody the spirit of Boston.
• October 19: The five finalists audition live on Kiss 108.
• October 24: Finalist auditions are posted on www.voiceoflogan.com, and public voting opens.
• October 28: Public voting closes.
• November 5: The winner is announced on Billy & Lisa in the Morning on Kiss 108.
“We have been blown away by the enthusiasm for the Voice of Logan contest and how much fun people are having with it,” said Rich Davey, CEO of Massport. “There’s a lot of pride in what it means to be from Massachusetts, and we want the Voice of Logan to capture that spirit and give our passengers a memorable welcome when they travel through the airport. For those on the fence about submitting, now is the time to do it. Who knows, you could be the next Voice of Logan.”
The content has also captured attention well beyond the airport, with everyone from Boston Bruins players and local personalities getting in on the fun to national coverage on NBC’s TODAY. The Voice of Logan even made its way to late-night television, with Jimmy Fallon highlighting the contest and Ben Affleck trying his hand at the script with Jimmy Kimmel. The response has helped turn the search for Boston Logan’s next voice into a true statewide – and national—conversation.
We love seeing the posts on social media of people reading the script but just remember to submit your audition online at www.voiceoflogan.com. Only those submitted online will be eligible to win. We encourage everyone who can to submit before the deadline.
Additional details, eligibility requirements, and submission instructions are available at www.voiceoflogan.com.
Going Above and Beyond. The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) owns and operates Boston Logan International Airport, public terminals in the Port of Boston, Hanscom Field, and Worcester Regional Airport. For more information, please visit massport.com.