June 5 (full version): A displaced woman details ordeal for her, neighbors
Gilbert sang June 10.
UPDATED, Sept. 17: Echoes of the fatal May 5 blaze at the Arizona Terrace condos continue.
Arlington police report that the family of Wai Cheong, who died in the fire, was laid to rest in August, in the cemetery in Leeds, England, where his father is buried.
At the same time, the Housing Corporation of Arlington reported to contributors this month that its fund for those displaced by the fire had swelled to $24,000.
Police said the family shared a photo of the marker.
The fire, which began on May 5 around 4 a.m., claimed the life of Mr. Cheong. Sixty units were made uninhabitable; 36 wrer reported destroyed and 24 damaged, requiring repairs.
Help for those displaced first came the local efforts. Leader Bank stood up, offering low-interest loans through May. Then the housing corporation announced a public fund-raiser, held June 10 at the Regent.
Then the U.S. Small Business Administration announced in mid-June that businesses and residents affected by the fire can apply for low-interest disaster loans.
At the time, the housing corporation had raised $18,518, said Pam Hallett, executive dorector.
Leland Stein, co-owner of the Regent, wrote June 15 that the theater raised $1,550 for the fund — $1,125 from 45 tickets sold plus $425 in CD sales (100 percent donated by the artists who performed at the event).
“Certainly, we were hoping for a better turnout,” he wrote, “but it was a wonderful event and evening for those of us who attended, performed and hosted.”
The loans were available in response to a letter from Gov. Charles Baker on June 5, an SBA news release says.
“The SBA is strongly committed to providing the people of Massachusetts with the most effective and customer-focused response possible to assist businesses of all sizes, homeowners and renters with federal disaster loans,” said SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet in the release.
Homeowners and renters are eligible for loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property, Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East in Atlanta, said in the release.
Applicants may be eligible for a loan amount increase up to 20 percent of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, to make improvements that help prevent the risk of future property damage caused by a similar event.
Interest rates are as low as 4 percent for businesses, 2.625 percent for nonprofit organizations and 1.688 percent for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Loan amount and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.
Applicants may apply online here >>
Businesses and individuals may also obtain information and loan applications by calling the SBA’s customer-service center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or by emailing disastercustomerservice[at]sba.gov. Loan applications can also be downloaded at www.sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be returned to the center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage was Aug. 10. The deadline to return economic-injury applications is March 11, 2016.
“Businesses of any size and nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets,” said Robert H. Nelson, SBA’s district director in Massachusetts.
The Regent provided most of the following for the June 10 concert:
Humorous ad-Vance man
Gilbert burst onto the singer/songwriter scene in the early 1990s, when buzz started spreading in the folk clubs of Boston about an ex-multicultural arts teacher who was knocking ’em dead at open mics. He has continued to do so, including at a show this month at Harvard Square’s Club Passim. In addition, read a 2011 review >>
Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Vance started out hoping to be a jazz singer, and then discovered his affinity for the storytelling sensibilities of acoustic folk music. Once word got out about Gilbert’s stage-owning singing and playing, Shawn Colvin invited him to be special guest on her Fat City tour.
Noted not only for being the ever consummate performer, Gilbert has recorded 12 albums, including four for Philo/Rounder Records. He has opened for artists as varied as Aretha Franklin, Arlo Guthrie, Anita Baker, George Carlin, Paul Reiser and the Subdudes. Considered by many to be an integral part of the national folk scene, Gilbert’s compositions, while frequently employing sophisticated melodies and harmonies that attest to his jazz roots, remain sublime attestations to the storyteller’s craft. He even has a tune on a Grammy-nominated children’s album. How rounded is that?
Hip harpist
Henson-Conant is a Grammy-nominated electric harp virtuoso with a wicked sense of humor, a gutsy set of vocal chords and a theatrical flair.
Forget the demure harpist — she’s known a showman, entertainer and solid musician compared to musical greats from Leonard Bernstein to Jimi Hendrix — and she plays a custom-built 32-string electric harness harp.
She’s opened for Ray Charles at Tanglewood, starred in her own special on PBS, toured as a symphony soloist with the Boston Pops and as a rock harpist with guitar legend Steve Vai. She has her own online school for harpists around the world.
Drumbeat for good
Woody Giessmann, a longtime musician and visual artist, is most known for his work with The Del Fuegos. Woody has recorded 22 studio albums and shared the stage with Tom Petty, Siedah Garrett, ZZ Top, The Kinks, James Brown, NRBQ, X, Los Lobos and INXS.
He is the founder and CEO of Right Turn, a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides a safe and welcoming atmosphere to creative people in recovery. The Arlington-based program is moving to Watertown days after this show.
Does this fiddler purr?
Katz Katz — a musician, author and painter — casts a wide net of creative endeavors. Ilana’s music mainstay is blues and old-time Southern fiddle, but her versatility as an improvisational musician beckons her to play all kinds of music.
She loves performing in Boston’s subways, but she often sits in with blues musicians all over New England and wherever her travels take her. Ilana has had the great honor to perform with many great musicians, including Ronnie Earl, Cedric Watson, Joe Moss and Diane Blue. “Marlyn’s Blues.” off her debut record, “I’ve Got Something to Tell You,” has recently been nominated for best new blues song by Big City Blues Magazine.
Boston Music Award nominee
Powhida is a multiple Boston Music Award nominee, and his songs have been featured in episodes of My Name is Earl and Men in Trees. He has sung on recordings by The Click Five, Sarah Borges and The Gentlemen.
You may have seen him perform with his beloved Boston rock and soul combo The Rudds or even as guitarist with rock-‘n-roll icon and author Bebe Buell. The winner of the 2011 Boston Rock and Roll Rumble with his band John Powhida International Airport, this past April in Little Rock, Ark., he stood in for Todd Rundgren fronting the 1974 version of Todd Rundgren’s “Utopia” with three original members. His band’s latest CD, “Airport Life,” features Boston Music Award song of the year nominee “cover me i’m going for milk.”
Donations for Brookside Condominium fire victims
Thanks to the Housing Corporation of Arlingtonfor setting up a fund for those affected by the May 5 fire at Brookside Condominiums. When making a donation, please be sure to note in the “Designation (Optional)” field “Fire.” Funds collected will go to assist those displaced by the fire. You can make your donation here.
This extended announcement was published Sunday, May 24, 2015, and updated Sept. 17.
