MEETING NOTES

East Boston Greenway Coordinating Council
Harborside Community Center
Monday, June 16,1998

see full map of proposed Greenway

Attending:

Valerie Burns, Carolyn Banulis, Aldo Cirone, Connie Carbone, Rose Christopher, Sandra Ciccia, Louis Covino, Ken Crasco, Bob D'Amico, Rose D'Amore, Florence D'Avella, Edith DeAngelis, Lucy and William Ferullo, Michael Gaeta, Ron Hardaway, Ethan and Blossom Hoag, Don King, Sal LaMattina, Vincent LaBella, Karen Maddalena, Mark Mazzone, Al Miller (MHD), Police Officer Stephanie Marrow, Eric Morash, Peter Nagle, Steve O'Donnell (MHD), Karen Pugsley, Bob Strelitz, Gene Testa, Mark Warren, Lauri Webster, Mary Ellen Welch, Joanne Zambuto, Tony Zambuto, Grace Zuccaro.

After introductions all around we began our discussion on:

1. Greenway/Marginal to Porter.

Valerie Burns began with a recap of the Greenway Project, with respect to this first section, from Marginal to Porter Street. Last month, Commissioner Liff, Don King and Ken Crasco from the Boston Parks & Recreation Department came to our meeting to talk about the status of this project. Parks had just received formal written notice that MHD was going to bid out the project and was in the process of figuring out how the project was going to proceed.

This section of the Conrail Corridor is owned by the City of Boston Parks Department. Last Fall the Parks Department and the community worked together to select a designer and "design" improvements during a community design process. At that time the Parks Department was planning to put the project out to bid in Spring '98. Now with the turn of events, the Parks Department and MHD are crafting a new relationship to work together, with MHD actually bidding and managing construction of the project. Because MHD is providing much of the funding for the project through an ISTEA grant, it has the option to bid and construct the project.

On behalf of the Council, Valerie invited MHD Commissioner Sullivan to come to the meeting; he could not come but sent in his stead, Steve O'Donnell and Al Miller.

Valerie distributed the letter to Commissioner Sullivan (MHD) dated June 4, 1998 and a letter to Commissioner Liff from MHD dated June 8, 1998. Also available for those who did not already receive copies were the Coordinating Council Meeting Notes dated May 18, 1998, letter from Senator Travaglini to MHD dated May 26, 1998 and EB Sun Transcript article dated June 10, 1998.

Steve O'Donnell began with a brief history of the transportation enhancement program. It originated in 1994-5. In the first year MHD did not do any projects but by the second year they picked up a few and by now have done 150 projects around the state and are ahead of the bell curve in obligating federal funds in Massachusetts. MHD has done 15 to 20 bike paths just like this around the state. The federal highway department strongly encourages MHD to do this type of project and this year the East Boston Greenway will be part of MHD's $400,000 construction program.

O'Donnell is a contracts manager at MHD. He has several responsibilities including tracking legislative issues and transportation bond bills and Karisiotis has called him the Patron Saint of Lost Causes. According to O'Donnell, the community's contact person is still the City as the City is managing the designer Contract. In general, community members expressed an uneasiness about this and wanted a contact person at MHD to call if a problem arose. (Later in the meeting there was a unanimous vote to have the MHD personnel come to the next three to four Greenway meetings.)

Inevitably, community members asked why MHD had changed its direction with respect to this project. They wanted to know what advantage there was for the community to have MHD bid and manage construction of this project. People were concerned that the move by MHD had caused a slip in the schedule. Council members were also concerned about the nature of changes that MHD was requiring in the construction drawings.

MHD maintained they were not requiring changes to what was designed; they had only requested the drawings be clarified (i.e. survey reference points, etc.); that they were taking to drawings to a "higher" standard, and that they were not changing anything that had been designed. MHD will be proceeding with the project as designed during the design process and approved by the MAPC. The first contract which is being referred to as Phase I, will include the site remediation, paved travel lanes, entrance at Gove Street, retaining walls with granite block and lighting. The second project, referred to as Phase II, will immediately follow with the landscaping, fencing and gateways, benches, a small arts package and the caboose. The Council asked MHD to provide a list of any of the changes it requests for the City's designers.

With respect to the schedule, the MHD said that the 25/75% submission for Phase I is at MHD for review, which MHD expects to turnaround in two weeks. The final submission is due the end of July. The contract for Phase I will be out to bid in mid August and MHD is expecting it will be under construction by mid to late September. They are expecting to complete Phase I by Spring 99. Phase II will follow on the heels of Phase I. (Previously, when the Parks Department had been in control of the project, Council members had understood the Project would be out to bid this Spring, be complete within twelve months and opened for community use by next Summer.)

The advantages for the community of having MHD bid and manage the construction of this project include: "MHD can speed up process; MHD will have a clerk of the works on site during construction; and MHD can offer vast technical resources if needed." The Parks Department role will not diminish during construction. They will be there at weekly job meetings during construction.

Council member Ron Hardaway wanted to know what control the community will have over change orders, which could alter what has been designed, during construction. MHD replied by saying the community would have no control over change orders, but that in general, change orders are not issued to alter improvements specified, but more to take care of unexpected conditions.

The Council is also concerned that MHD now has control over a great deal of the Greenway: this section form Marginal to Porter Street, the section along the Bremen Street Park and the portion from Bremen Street Park to Neptune Road. Council members were looking for a level of reassurance because MHD has such a big role now, even though there are separate projects all being run by separate departments within MHD. EB has an excellent working relationship with Mike Lewis (CA/T) but East Boston lost things before with change of administrations and this is an election year.

MHD maintained that their involvement can do nothing but enhance this project.

Council members were also concerned about hours of construction, truck routes, noise, dust and practices with respect to site remediation. MHD said all these items are addressed in their standard specification, but that if the community wanted hours of construction other than standard hours then we needed to discuss it soon. Perhaps a meeting with abutters is warranted. With respect to the contamination, there is a Safety Plan.

To inquiries about who was going to be responsible for maintaining the site this summer and during construction, came the following answers. While under contract, the Contractor will be responsible for maintaining the site. Once the construction contract is complete and the work is accepted, the responsibility for maintenance will be with the Parks Department, who owns the site, according to Don King. The Parks Department plans to send out crews/redshirts this summer.

Mark Mazzone stated that Representative Serra could not be at this meeting tonight due to the birth of his first granddaughter, but that he was concerned about the maintenance of the Greenway. He wanted to know if there was a maintenance plan and a security plan. Representative Serra was involved in the management and maintenance plan put together for Piers Park and wanted to know if something similar was being done for the Greenway, and if so, how was it going to be funded.

The Don King of the Parks Department replied that they are committed to maintain this section of the greenway and in lieu of other resources, they will be using the resources they have. They welcome other financial resources and non-traditional labor. They are open to innovative ideas. There is no maintenance plan yet, although the designers will provide one once construction documents are completed, according to Ken Crasco.

There might be ways to raise the level of maintenance to match that of Piers Park or Festa Field, but Don King said the Council would be well advised to watch for potential trade-offs. Open space managed by other entities in East Boston is sometimes difficult to reserve and has a lot of restrictive rules once you are there.

Council members and the Parks Department are already talking to the Boston Police Department about security on the Greenway using patrols by police on bikes. (The Council needs to ensure there is sufficient funding for the desired level of police coverage.)

Plans for maintenance, management and security must be pursued and any help the Representative can lend would be most welcome.

The Council voted unanimously that it would like MHD to come to at least the next three meetings to give us updates on the project. Communication is imperative. MHD replied that it would have to get authorization from the Commissioner. The Council requested that BNAF send a letter to Commissioner requesting that his staff attend upcoming meetings.

Greenway/Porter to Neptune

It appears the Central Artery will be constructing some temporary ramps in the near future to handle traffic during the construction of the interchange. This project is called the

Advanced Detour Road Project and it is moving along ahead of the rest of the main project. The ramps will be constructed on portions of the Conrail Corridor adjacent to the proposed Bremen Street Park.

According to Nancy Kafka of TPL, the Central Artery has an easement on the Conrail Corridor for 66 months.

More than several members expressed concern that the Park and Fly land transfer has not happened. Although TPL believes it is in the CA/T project's interest to make that happen soon (before the end of the year), community sources say that the transfer is stalled at Massport, who is not settling with Goldberg. CAT's agreement to build the park and the highway simultaneously is only verbal. The original agreement has the park being built after the highway; this concerns community residents who see that it will be tougher to get the park built as time goes on (they won't be able to get Park n Fly out of there... funds will dry up...the Central Artery project will be winding down). Incidentally, it looks like Park and Fly changed its name.

Sal LaMattina said he would inform the Mayor so that he could pull the parties in to meet. Council members reminded Sal that the community has a legitimate seat on this negotiation team.

Some council members reiterated their desire to have Massport return Amarena Park/Field to the community. Although some believe this is not a realistic expectation, others from Gove Street/Jeffries Point according to Edie and Mary Ellen are undaunted and may pursue getting Amarena Field Park in Massport's Buffer Program.

We have heard that the next meeting with the CA/T project is July 1, although we are not yet sure what the agenda is. There are some issues with the highway and some outstanding issues on the park design, including but not limited to:

• getting a more detailed cost estimate
•including earth mounds in the park
•having a continuously running fountain
•whether the ferry and train play structure are satisfactory
• proposed safety surfacing
• whether the Prescott Street Bridge needs to be replaced or not
• how and when the Greenway Prescott Street Bridge to Neptune Road will be built

The Council requested that BNAF contact the project to request a separate meeting to wind up outstanding design issues on the park.

Everyone cheered when Valerie announced that Massport had given $3,100 to BNAF/EBNASA for this Summer's Youth Conservation Corps. The fate of the much needed grant had been uncertain with the community fund being set up.

3. Massport Buffer Parks

Massport's John Krajovik had been invited to this meeting, but could not attend. Bob D'Amico gave an update on what is happening with the Bayswater buffer park. The neighborhood had two meetings, with Massport attending the second one, to discuss the potential linear park along Bayswater. In general people agreed that they would like to see the bank stabilized, the utilities underground, a Conway memorial, a natural look, not a hard barrier like the one being built in Revere. The design process is not expected to start until September, at which time there will be public meetings to address specifics. This will be a really positive thing for the neighborhood.

4. The Gumball Parking Lot

More details will be available at the next meeting.

5. Sumner Street Stairs.

Mark Warren reiterated that there would have to be a fundamental change in the argument set forth in the Architectural Barriers Boards decision. He asked if it would it be possible to convince the residents of the condominium to support the ramp behind the fire station, rather than opposing it. Acouncil member from the condominiums answered that they don't want the ramp because it will be a secluded place for kids to hang out. That the stairs from Sumner street were denied by the Barriers Board continues to trouble the Council but it is not clear how to resolve the problem.

6. The Oral History Project

Tapes will be in the library June 22. Take family members down and listen to them!

7. Other Business

YMCA - A representative from the YMCA is talking with people and meeting with groups to assess East Boston's needs for the Y. She has inquired about the need for child care services. Edie has told her about the need for senior citizen services. The Y might be a possible tenant for the Scolly building, as is the post office building (Massport) and the vacant building at St. Mary's.

Scolly - Gene Testa reported that the CA/T is using Scolly now.

Mural - Mary Dreitland from Cultural Connections was going to come to this meeting to talk about putting a mural on the side of the Fire Station. In general, people were supportive of the idea, based on further information about the content and quality of the mural.

End

These notes are written to the best recollection of the authors. Please let us know if corrections are necessary within 60 days of the date of the meeting notes.

BOSTON NATURAL AREAS FUND, INC.
BOSTON NATURALAREAS FUND. INC.(BNAF)
59 Temple Place, Room 558
Boston, MA 02111-1307
(617)542-7696
(Fax)542-0383

e-mail: BNAF@aol.com