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MEETING
NOTES
East Boston Greenway
Coordinating Council
Harborside Community Center,
Conference Room
Monday, December 13, 1999
map of the Marginal to
Prescott Segment of the Greeenway
Click to see full map of
proposed Greenway
DRAFT
MEETING NOTES DRAFT
East Boston Greenway
Coordinating Council
Harborside
Community Center
Monday, December 13, 1999
Attending:
Valerie Burns, Connie Carbone, Aldo
Cirone, Robert D’Amico, Arlene
Gehring, Blossom Hoag, Ethan Hoag, Police
Officer Stephanie Morrow, Jessica
Parsons, Mark Warren, Mary Ellen Welch,
Grace Zuccaro, Lauri Webster.
1.
Introductions and Welcome
After
introductions we voted to accept the
draft meeting minutes from the November
meeting. Valerie asked if people saw the
picture of Congressman Capuano and Mayor
Menino visiting the Greenway together in
November. The two were on a tour around
East Boston and the Boston Globe covered
the story. It was a good chance for to
the Congressman to see first hand the
drainage problem and to talk about the
$92,000 balance of the ISTEA grant that
the state claims went into the general
fund.
2.
The East Boston Greenway Management Plan
The
East Boston Greenway Management Plan Task
Force met for the first time on December
18, 1999. Council members attending were
Connie Carbone, Blossom Hoag and Mark
Warren. Also attending were Antonia
Pollack, Director of the Environment
Department for the City of Boston, John
Krajovic , Manager of Airport Planning
and Mitigation for Massport, Karl
Pastore, North Region Supervisor from the
Metropolitan District Commission and Dana
Tanimoto from the Massachusetts Turnpike
Authority.
On
Friday, December 10, we went for a tour
of the Greenway with Task Force members.
Antonia Pollack and John Krajovic, Karl
Pastore attended. Patrice Todisco,
Director of the Boston GreenSpace
Alliance also came. We started at Belle
Isle and walked all the way out to BIFCo.
Boston is planning to remove some of the
debris scattered all over the site, the
more costly problem of soil contamination
remains. John Krajovic explained what
improvements are being planned for the
Bayswater Urban Wild. Constitution Beach
is being renovated by the MDC and is
starting to look very nice.
The
Master Plan is moving ahead, with another
meeting in January. We will be reviewing
other Management Plans and strategies
(Piers park, Southwest Corridor, Post
Office Square, Copley Square); discussing
agencies approaches to managing the
Greenway sections they own and possibly
reviewing consultants proposals.
3.
The East Boston Greenway Signage System
The
Boston Parks and Recreation Department,
in partnership with the Greenway Council
has applied to the Browne Fund for a
grant to provide and artful signage
system for the Greenway. The presentation
to the Browne Fund is January 11, 2000 at
7:30 PM at City Hall. BNAF will prepare
some talking points and get them out so
that from neighborhood organizations and
elected officials can prepare letters of
support by January 5, 2000. BNAF will
prepare a letter on behalf of the
Council.
4.
Greenway - Conrail Corridor from Marginal
to Porter Street
The
City and State are in agreement that the
flooding must be addressed. BWSC is
working with Parks on the technical
solution. The city and state are at odds
at how to pay for the adjustments to the
drainage design and removal of some
unsuitable materials. Even though our
project came in $92,000 below the ISTEA
grant amount, MHD is saying all extra
costs are the responsibility of the city.
Valerie passed out several letters:
letter to Parks from MHD dated 10/22/99;
letter to MHD from BNAF dated 10/28/99;
letter to MHD from Parks dated 11/2/99
and letter to BNAF from MHD dated
11/3/99.
BNAF
sent a copy of its letter to MHD to
Congressman Capuano asking his help in
ascertaining the policy on ISTEA grants
at the federal level. He responded
immediately that he would look into it.
There
is no progress on Phase II to report.
5.
Greenway from Porter to Frankfort /
Bremen Street Park
There
is still no word on the land swap,
although Skychef (behind the post office
has been demolished). Valerie passed out
the CA/T’s notice to cancel the
December meeting. Everyone is very
concerned about the lack of action on the
land swap and about the future of Bremen
Street Park.
The RFP
for the Scolly building has not yet been
released.
6.
Updates
The
Snowy Owl Walk is full, but we do
have a wait list.
Jessica
Parsons, BNAF’s new environmental
educator came to introduce herself
and all the programs planned for January
through March 2000. She also is
overseeing the Young Explorers Programs
and YCC Fellows, Andrea Tassinari and
Stephanie Gaeta, who may propagate meadow
plants, build a bird blind, and/or create
an exhibit for the bulletin board.
Friends
of the East Boston Greenway - Valerie
and Mark met with three principals of
Robinson and Cole a law firm that may
agree to offer US probono services. The
meeting went well, but must be reviewed
by the firm’s probono committee.
Hopefully we will hear something in
January.
Massport’s
Waterfront Development Process -
RPF’s have been issued. Call
Massport for your copies. An information
session for prospective developers is
scheduled for December 16, 1999; you must
RSVP if you would like to attend.
MBTA
Car Yard. BNAF, along with the MDC,
City of Boston Conservation Commission
and the Friends of Belle Isle Marsh are
scheduled to meet with the MBTA on
January 7, 2000. In their written
response to our comments they referenced
numerous community meetings. No one
present heard about or attended any of
these meetings except one interagency
meeting with the City of Boston
Transportation Department.
The
Winthrop Greenway - Paul Desjardins
asked for conceptual plans and ball park
budget for bridge. BNAF just submitted a
letter of intent to the Massachusetts
Environmental Trust to do a community
design process to make the Greenway
connections through Belle Isles and over
the bridge to Winthrop. If we are invited
to apply, we will let Council members and
Paul Desjardins know.
7.
Other Business
Arlene
will be attending Massport’s site
tour on December 16 for the building
proposed for the Immigration Museum
which is located in the boatyard.
There
is a wonderful exhibit, "Mapping
Boston," at the Boston Public
Library.
END/ccmn1299
These notes
are written to the best recollection of
the authors. Please let BNAF know if
corrections are necessary within 30 days
of the date of the meeting notes. Contact
BNAF@aol.com
BOSTON NATURAL
AREAS FUND. INC.(BNAF)
59 Temple Place, Room 558
Boston, MA 02111-1307
(617)542-7696
(Fax)542-0383
e-mail:
BNAF@aol.com
Go to other
Greenway meeting minutes
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