By Seth Daniel

In a clash of opinions in Worces-ter Square, the Hotel Alexandra has prevailed, gaining the support of the neighborhood association by a vote of 7-4 – with several abstentions.

The Hotel Alexandra – a 150 room, 13-story tall redevelopment project on Washington Street - is wrapping up its review process in

March. The developers have been shopping the project around to neighborhood associations and have already received measured support from the host organiza-tion, Chester Square. On Tues-day night, the abutting Worcester Square Area Neighborhood Asso-ciation (WSANA) was on tap, and by no means was there universal support.

Former President Fernando

Requena said it was critical to lend support as he didn’t believe there would be another time when the building could be saved and re-used.

“We have waited too long to get this building redeveloped,” he said. “I’ve been here 40 years and I’ve been waiting to get this infamous building developed…When I was president we tried many things,

By Seth Daniel

The City of Boston has announced that it has signed a Host Community Agreement (HCA) with Liberty Compassion, a medical marijuana proposal on Albany Street, while at the same time refusing to sign an HCA with Compassionate Organics – which had a proposal on Tremont Street.

The story started with the sud-den news from Compassionate last Wednesday, Feb. 20, that they

were withdrawing because the City wouldn’t endorse that proposal.

“We have basically withdrawn because the City wouldn’t give us a Host Community Agreement,” said Geoff Reilinger, of Com-passionate. “We got to the point where we were looking to sign an agreement and they said they weren’t going to do that. That pretty much ended our proposal for Tremont Street. We couldn’t go any further.”

By Lauren Bennett

Boston may not see electric scooters as early as originally thought. The City Council Com-mittee on Government Operations held a hearing on Feb. 26 regarding an ordinance establishing the Bos-ton Transportation Department (BTD) to regulate shared mobili-ty businesses. There was previous discussion of a pilot program for e-scooters or other technologies

starting this spring, but it doesn’t look like that is happening any time soon. This ordinance is not a pilot of scooters or other technolo-gies, but rather would allow BTD to have the power to regulate such technology should it be allowed to come to the city.

The City Council held a hear-ing in October 2018 regarding dockless mobility, which was very well attended and began the con-versation regarding shared mobil-

ity services in the City of Boston It is “critical for the city to have effective regulation,” said Council-or Michael Flaherty, Chair of the Committee on Government Oper-ations.

“I am enormously support-ive of micromobility,” Councilor Matt O’Malley said, saying that he wants to remove more cars fro the road and move people around the

WSANA supports Hotel Alexandra proposal in narrow vote

B

OSTON

T H U R S D AY, F E B R U A RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9

Published every Thursday serving back bay - souTh end - Fenway - kenmore

The Sun

(ScooterS, Pg. 8)

No e-scooters in near future; City Council holds hearing regarding ordinance about shared mobility businesses

ANNISSA ESSAIBI-GEORGE HOSTSCAMPAIGN KICK-OFF AT JJ FOLEY’S

(WSANA, Pg. 3)

(compASSioNAte orgANicS, Pg. 2)

PHOTO BY KEIKO HIROMI

Barbara Foley, Patricia Foley and Karen Foley joined Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George at JJ Foley’s Café in the South End on Tuesday, Feb. 26, for the councilor’s campaign kick-off event. Scores of residents from across the city came out to support Essaibi-George’s re-election campaign.

PHOTO BY KEIKO HIROMI

Anida Seng modeling the newest look at the Gameday Creative Fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Research last Friday night, Feb. 22, at ArtPlug Studios off Massachusetts Avenue. The night featured hip hop, fashion and fine arts to benefit Alzheimer’s research. It was hosted by Tucker Mitchell Productions.

ALZHEIMERS RESEARCH FUNDRAISER AT ARTPLUG STUDIOS City signs HCA with Liberty, refuses to grant one to Compassionate

By Dan Murphy

The United South End Settle-ments (USES) is moving forward with plans to sell the Harriet Tub-man House and consolidate its ser-vices under one roof on Rutland Street.

USES launched Vision 125 – its “five-year strategic plan” – in the fall of 2016 and through the subsequent process, decided to

sell the Harriet Tubman House at 566 Columbus Ave., which is cost-ing the organization $463,000 to maintain in FY`19. A Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued for the property in December of last year, and the first round of offers were submitted in February.

USES hopes to have a final deci-sion regarding the property by the

USES to sell Harriet Tubman, consolidate services on Rutland Street

(USeS, Pg. 3)

PA G E 2 F E B R U A RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9T H E B O S T O N S U N

SOUTH END LIBRARY MISSES OUT ON CPA FUNDS

The Friends of the South End Library (FOSEL) are reporting their disappoint-ment in being rejected for $50,000 in funding to finish the Library Park reno-va-tions. Those renovations most-ly took place last summer, with the expectation that CPA funding could provide for the plantings and landscaping this spring.

However, this month, the City’s Community Preservation Commit-tee passed on the Library’s funding request.

There were four CPA Open Space funding requests from the South End neigh-borhood: Peters Park ($146,000); Ellis Children’s Park ($100,000); South End Library Park ($50,000) and the Durham Street Oval Restoration ($25,000). Only Peters Park received the money it requested.

REP. SANTIAGO, CITY TO HOST OPIATE TOWN HALL

Rep. Jon Santiago, in conjunc-tion with the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Services, is hosting a Town Hall forum to discuss the opioid epidemic from 6-8 p.m. on March 7 at the McKinley Ele-mentary School auditorium. This Town Hall aims to bring together local government officials, service providers, and residents to listen, learn about, and explore solutions to the opioid epidemic at Mass/

Cass. Everyone is invited to help kick off this new and innovative ap-proach to community engage-ment. Opening remarks will be made by Rep. San-tiago, with City Health and Human Services Direc-tor Marty Martinez discussing the City’s approach to the epidemic.

CONVERSATIONS WITH CAREGIVERS: AN EDUCATION SERIES

The Dementia Caregiver Sup-port Program of the MGH Divi-sion of Palliative Care and Geriat-ric Medicine is sponsoring its next seminar called “Conversations with Caregivers: An Education Series” on Tuesday, March 19, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Mass. Gen-eral in the O’Keefe Auditorium. These seminars are for caregivers and people with dementia and focus on topics related to Demen-tia. The guest speaker will be Ann M. Hollis, OTR/L, DriveWise occupational therapist in the Cog-nitive Neurology Unit at Beth Isra-el Deaconess Medical Center, and her talk will focus on driving safe-ty as it relates to individuals with dementia. Seating is limited, so call 617-724-0406 to R.S.V.P. Light refreshments will be served, and parking vouchers will be available. There is no charge for this event.

ESPLANADE ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES FROST FIT WINTER SERIES

A new outdoor fitness series

encourages people to venture out-side and experi-ence the beauty of the Esplanade in winter while kicking off the new year with reg-ular workouts. All are welcome to warm up, score cool swag, and get their blood pumping at the Frost Fit Winter Series Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts with the support of the Massachu-setts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

This is a first-of-its kind fitness series on the Esplanade! First, every Saturday in February (Feb-ruary 2, 9, 16, and 23, with snow dates on March 2 and 9), in-struc-tors from the November Project will lead participants through run-ning loops, body-weight exercises, and other fun, energetic activities designed to keep them moving (and therefore warm). Anyone who attends these workouts, which run from 10:00am to 11:00am in front of the DCR Hatch Shell on the Es-planade, will receive a Frost Fit Winter Series fleece head-band, bagels, coffee, and hot chocolate. Headbands are limited to the first 450 participants.

BACK BAY HAPPENINGS

•Eataly at the Prudential Center hosts Apres Ski Festival Weekly Winter Happy Hour every Thurs-day in February. Beer, wine, and other beverages are available to sip on, while comfort food inspired by the Italian Alps will be offered.

e d i t o r i a l

The Boston Sun reserves the right to edit letters for space and clarity. We regret that we cannot publish unsigned letters. Please include your street and telephone number with your submission. The Boston Sun publishes columns, viewpoints and letters to the

editor as a forum for readers to express their opinions and to encourage debate. Please note that the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of The Boston Sun.

THE BOSTON SUNPrESidENT/EdiTOr: Stephen Quigley, Stephen.Quigley@theboStonSun.com

MarkETiNg dirEcTOr: Debra Digregorio (Deb@theboStonSun.com)Art Directors: Kane DiMasso-scott, scott Yates

contributing reporters: seth Daniel, seth@reverejournal.coM

lauren Bennett, lauren@theBostonsun.coM

MASSACHUSETTS GREENWORKS IS AN INVESTMENT IN OUR PRESENT -- AND FUTURE

The announcement last week by House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo that

the state will be investing $1 billion over the next decade to help com-munities across Massachusetts adopt technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fortify infrastructure is welcome news to everyone who realizes that time is running out if we are to offset the inevitable effects of climate change that already are taking place all around us.

The proposal – known as GreenWorks – builds on a long-standing approach by the House under Speaker DeLeo’s leadership to provide the means for our cities and towns (especially along the coast) to build sustainable and resilient communities that hopefully will prepare us for the impending threats posed by rising sea levels and catastrophic weather events.

Environmental groups and clean-energy businesses across the state have praised the plan. The $1 billion investment envisioned by the GreenWorks proposal not only will provide cities and towns with the ability to cut greenhouse gases and lower their long-term energy and operating costs, but it also will adopt Massachusetts-made innovative technologies that will put people to work on clean-tech infrastructure projects.

These competitive grants, to be administered by the governor’s Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, will provide funding for a wide array of projects, including energy-efficient buildings, solar, microgrids, energy storage, electric vehicle charging stations, and resiliency infra-structure.

Inasmuch as the GreenWorks plan presents an opportunity to pursue innovative approaches to funding clean energy and climate-change resil-iency projects, the economic and environmental benefits of GreenWorks grants will be felt immediately, while also expanding the state’s com-mitment to embracing cost-effective investments in leading-edge clean technologies.

In our view, the GreenWorks program represents a timely part of the overall solution that is essential if we are to address the imperatives we face from the looming catastrophe of climate change. We applaud Speaker DeLeo for taking the lead in advancing a plan that acknowledges this reality and the need to deal with it immediately.

It being a new process, some in the neighborhood weren’t sure that was the case, but this week City officials indicated that they had chosen to sign an HCA with Liber-ty, and not Compassionate.

Alexis Tkachuk, of the Office of Emerging Industries, has been in charge of the marijuana licensing process throughout the City. Her department is responsible for sign-ing such agreements.

According to the Mayor’s Office, Compassionate had received significant opposition from the community groups and elected officials.

With that consideration, the City instead executed a HCA with Liberty, which is in a commercial

space (591 Albany St.) that the City believed is more appropriately sited for a cannabis establishment. Liberty also was not opposed by elected officials or neighborhood groups, the City said.

The HCA is rather cookie cut-ter and is similar to other that have been signed citywide since the City began awarding them to appli-cants.

One of the stipulations is that 3 percent of all revenues would be paid to the City quarterly to miti-gate the siting of the establishment. Most of the other items are legal terms and definitions.

Some of the items required include:

•security cameras.

•no benches or social gathering areas outside.

•prohibition of consumption on site.

•share data with Boston Public Health Commission.

•ensure access to quality prod-ucts at all times.

•assist in dissemination of pub-lic health information.

That HCA does allow Liberty to progress to the next stage of the process, which is applying to the state Cannabis Control Commis-sion and to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a hearing date. Liberty has said it expects to have a ZBA date in the spring.

cOMPaSSiONaTE OrgaNicS (from pg. 1)

NEwS BriEfS

(NEwS BriEfS Pg. 4)

PA G E 3F E B R U A RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9 T H E B O S T O N S U N

@bostonplansbostonplans.org

Teresa Polhemus, Executive Director/Secretary

980 Harrison AveBoston Water and Sewer, 2nd Floor Training RoomRoxbury, MA 02119

Monday, March 46:00 PM - 7:45 PM

Roxbury Strategic Master Plan Oversight Committee

Community Meeting

Event DescriptionThe Roxbury Strategic Master Plan Oversight Committee (RSMPOC) was developed to oversee projects that fall under the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan. Since the 2016 launch of PLAN: Dudley Square, RSMPOC meetings also include progress reports on that initiative. All meetings are open to the public and community input is desired. RSMPOC meetings are held in the evening the first Monday of the month at the Boston Water & Sewer Commission (BWSC) in the 2nd Floor Training Room. Free parking is available in the BWSC parking lot. For more information about the RSMPOC and the public meeting, please visit our webpage at: bit.ly/theRSMPOC.

Please come join your neighbors and the City of Boston to help shape the future of the neighborhood!

Contact:Muge UndemirBoston Planning & Development AgencyOne City Hall Square, 9th Floor Boston, MA 02201 617.918.4488 | mugzy.undemir@boston.gov

USES (from pg. 1)

WSANA (from pg. 1)

time its fiscal year ends on June 30, officials said.

Meanwhile, David Lee, an architect with the Boston-based firm Stull & Lee Inc., said the properties at 36 and 48 Rutland St. would be merged to “create more of a campus…that fits into the existing neighborhood.”

To help achieve this goal, Lee said a new, brick addition would be constructed to link the two sites.

“We’re still looking at options to get the look and feel of this right,” Lee said.

The decision to repurpose the Rutland Street site comes after a pipe burst at 48 Rutland St. in January of 2018, that shuttered the building for five months and caused the design team to examine its future uses.

Proceeds from the sale of the Harriet Tubman House at 566

Columbus Ave. would also be used to create an endowment that will be used helping to grow USES annual operating budget to more than $6 million each year through expanded programming; make comprehensive improvements to Camp Hale, a youth sleep-away camp located in Meredith, N.H.; and redevelop the new Harriet Tubman House on Rutland Ave-nue.

USES President and CEO Maicharia Weir Lytle will hold office hours at 48 Rutland St. on Wednesday, March 27, at 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday, April 24, at 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; and Thursday, May 23, at 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. in regard to these plans. To lean more about Vision 125, visit https://www.uses.org/vision125/.

but nothing ended up happening. I think it’s high time we do this. I think we need to support it. I don’t think we’ll get another opportuni-ty.”

At the same time, current Presi-dent George Stergios said he could not support the project, noting that it was too high and bent the Land-mark District’s rules in too great a way.

“I wish I could have the Hite (TV) building back (on Wash-ington Street),” he said. “We had New Boston Ventures come in and they wanted a certain height and abutters had concerns and we kind of pushed them aside because we wanted to see something done. The Hite Building is a small eyesore now, but the Hotel Alexandra will be a big eyesore…You’re not going to get the Hotel Alexandra. You’re getting a great big spike coming out of it….When you stand next to these buildings, they are just so tall.”

He said, as president, he has been burned too many times and he thinks this one will water down the Landmarks standards.

“It sets a precedent and it is in Landmarks,” he said. “If you

allow this, what is Landmarks for? I can start putting vinyl win-dows in my home. The problem is they are paying way too much for this property, and the only way to make up for that is to go higher.”

Vice President Bob Minnocci said he lives close by and wants to see the project go through.

“I live six doors down from the site and would love to see it devel-oped,” he said. “I think this is a good project. If there need to be tweaks, let’s make that happen.”

Mike Nelson said he support-ed the project because he likes the idea of the redevelopment, and he supports it being a hotel with pub-lic restaurants and public spaces.

“That corner is the appropriate place to go tall,” he said. “I like a roof top bar. If it’s condos, we don’t get to enjoy that view. With a hotel and a rooftop bar, we can all go there.”

In the end, WSANA voted to support the project, and endorse the list of stipulations laid out by Chester Square. The final vote was 7-4 with two abstaining.

•SATURDAY WORK PILOT OK’D

Bodwell Pines was approved by

WSANA unanimously Tuesday night, 14-0, bucking the trend of South End neighborhoods univer-sally opposing weekend work.

The Immaculate Conception Church project on Harrison Ave-nue has been under construction for about 18 months, and has been dubbed the Cosmopolitan. Attorney Marc LaCasse said Bod-well has been converting the large, open sanctuary into floors. At the moment, they have completed five of the seven floor plates, and are beginning the finishing work on the lower floors. Architects are try-ing to work out how to maneuver around the church’s arches on the ceiling right now so they can install the final floor plate.

While the project is on schedule, and they hope to start renting and occupying it by September, LaC-asse said they wanted to get com-munity support for a pilot program that would allow three Saturday construction days. The stipulation would be that they would only do interior work and there would be no demolition.

“My client would like to do two or three Saturdays on a pilot pro-gram and if they screw it up, you

can take it away from them,” said LaCasse. “If we do it right and get your confidence, then we’ll do inte-rior work quietly and we’ll contin-ue.”

Residents said they agreed to do the pilot, but only because it would mean getting the project done ear-lier – particularly being able to move the scaffolding and the con-struction zone.

•Word has gotten out that a new restaurant is looking to locate in the old Subway shop on Harrison Avenue. WSANA residents said the restaurant would be a mix of food, similar to Andre’s Café and Caffe Quattro. The new lessees are expected to appear before WSANA at some point for support.

•The City is proposing to add more needle kiosk stations to the South End in the coming months and are looking for support from neighborhoods that want to host the large, red mailbox-look-ing structures. There is no place they are more interested in than WSANA. That is due to the excep-tionally high volume to discarded needle pick-up requests in the areas of Worcester Square, East Spring-field Street and Massachusetts Ave-

nue.Already, there is one kiosk on

Northampton, and the Friends of Franklin Square have promoted the idea of putting another in their park.

The general sentiment among most members of WSANA was that trying out the kiosks might be a good step forward in trying to promote change in the area.

“We can keep complaining in meetings or we can give some-thing a shot,” said Desi Murphy. “Maybe it will work and things will get better. We can only try.”

•WSANA has voted to donate $1,000 to the parent organiza-tion of the Orchard Gardens K-8 School as part of their annual donation from proceeds reaped in the Christmas raffle. The Orchard Gardens has been subject to sever-al tough situations due to being in the nexus of the opiate epidemic on Mass/Cass. Members of WSANA felt that it would be a good idea to try to help them in any way possi-ble due to that tough draw.

The City of Boston reminds you:

The legal drinking age is 21.

Thanks for not providingalcohol to teens.

WWW.DONTSERVETEENS.GOVProudly sponsored by The Patrón Spirits Company.

FIND US ONLINE ATWWW.THEBOSTONSUN.COM

PA G E 4 F E B R U A RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9T H E B O S T O N S U N

There is also a live DJ! Go to Eat-aly.com for tickets and more infor-mation.

•Commonwealth Avenue Mall Lighting: Dark stretches of Com-monwealth Ave-nue Mall will stay bright year round, thanks to the launch of a plan to design and install permanent lighting of the statues on each block of the Mall. The first pro-ject will be the Morison statue in the Spring of 2019, followed by the Garrison and Collins statues. We are cur-rently raising funds for the Com-monwealth Ave-nue Mall Statue Lighting. If you’d like to help, you can donate online at friend-sofhte-publicgarden.org or by sending a check in the mail. For more infor-mation, email Margaret Pokorny at mpok384@gmail.com, or call 617-723-8144.

•Friends of the Public Garden Annual Meeting: Save the date for our 49th Annu-al Meeting on Thursday, March 28, featuring a presentation by Chris Cook, Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space. The meeting will be at 5:30pm at the Omni-Park-er House, 60 School St. RSVP at friendsofthepublicgarden.org.

• 261 FEARLESS SEEKS COACHES WHO WANT TO

HELP WOMEN CHANGE THEIR LIVES THROUGH RUN-NING IN BOSTON As the cor-nerstone of its “Tell Her She Can” campaign to celebrate Internation-al Women’s Day, 261 Fearless will con-duct an information session for women who want to learn more what it means to be a 261 Coach. Certified 261 Coaches help other women become empow-ered through participation in a non-competitive, nonjudgmental run-ning program, usually in their own town or neighborhood. The ses-sion, which is free, will be held at on March 5 in the Commonwealth Salon of the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston Street. It will begin at 6 p.m. Estab-lished in 2015, 261 Fearless Inc. was founded by Kathrine Switzer, who – wearing bib number 261 – became the first woman to offi-cially run the Boston Marathon, in 1967. In 2017, Switzer again finished the marathon, directly in front of the library, to mark the 50th anniversary of her fearless and ground-breaking run. Almost three dozen runners will run Bos-ton this year as part of 261 Fearless Team Boston, to raise funds for the organization. The global non-prof-it organization, with a chapter in Greater Boston, uses running as

a vehicle to empower and unite women through the creation of local running clubs, education pro-grams, communication platforms, and social running events. For more information, vis-it 261fear-less.org/tellhershecan.

SOUTH END DATES•Boston Center for Youth and

Families has brought back its free, Family Gym time to the Blackstone Community Center. The program is a weekly activity for children ages 3-8. It runs on Saturdays from 10-11:30 a.m. This session of Fam-ily Gym will run through April 13. In the fall the program will expand to additional BCYF community centers. For updated information or program cancellations follow @BCYFCenters.

•The Blackstone/Franklin Neighborhood Association will resume meeting in March on the third Tuesday of the month.

•The South End Forum Opi-ate Working Group has released its meeting schedule for Winter/Spring 2019. The group will meet at 4 p.m. in the Crosstown Hilton on Feb. 19, March 19, April 23, and May 21.

You deserve more than a job. You deserve

an Encore.Encore Boston Harbor is hiring. Explore thousands

of fulfilling careers. You deserve an Encore.

In accordance with our host and surrounding community agreements, hiring preference is given to properly qualified residents of the cities of (1) Everett, (2) Malden, and (3) Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Medford, and Somerville.

KHJ24907_ENC168 MORE 6.0832x6.5_MECH.indd 1 2/21/19 5:56 PM

First Church in Boston66 Marlborough StTickets $25-$50, students $15

Saturday March 9, 7:30pm

Buy tickets at: chamberorchestraofboston.org or call 617-266-1626

Enjoy wine & hors d’oeuvres after the concert

Michael Gandolfi: Plain Song, Fantastic DancesLudwig van Beethoven:

Septet in E-flat, Op. 20

Michael Gandolfi

CANDIDATE LEMOINE HOLDS CAMPAIGN KICK-OFF

District 8 City Council Candidate Landon Lemoine held his campaign kick-off event at the Baseball Tavern in the Fenway on Thursday, February 21. Lemoine said this was the largest fundraising event for the campaign so far, bringing in over 60 people. Lemoine discussed his platform with the community, focusing especially on his Community Innovation priority.

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News Briefs (from pg. 2)

(News Briefs Pg. 9)

PA G E 5F E B R U A RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9 T H E B O S T O N S U N

By Lauren Bennett

The City Council Committee on Education held a hearing on Feb. 25, on an update from Boston Public Schools (BPS) regarding the BuildBPS plan. The BuildBPS plan was first announced in 2017 as a $1 billion, 10-year facilities man-agement plan. The overall senti-ment at the hearing was that more concrete information about the plan was needed.

“Two years later, we are look-ing for a clearer picture about what this means,” said Councilor and Chair of the Education Committee Annissa Essaibi-George. She said she was hoping to learn more about the financial plan and the changes that have been made to the plan to date, as well as whether or not feedback from the commu-nity has been applied to the plan.

“We haven’t had any updates in 20, 30, 40 years in many cases,” said Councilor Ed Flynn, and many schools have become “money pits,” according to Councilor Michael Flaherty, who called the BuildBPS plan “a breath of fresh air.”

BPS Interim Superintendent Laura Perille and her team sat on the panel at the hearing to present what they call the second phase of BuildBPS. Everyone on the panel was either a current or former BPS parent or a BPS graduate them-selves.

“BuildBPS exists at present in two phases,” Perille said. She said the first phase was the original launch in 2017, which included work in brainstorming and facil-ities analysis, but “approached a stalling point over much of 2018.”

Perille said they have restarted in a second phase that began in October 2018, which includes the launch and public release of a plan. Before that, Perille said, there was no public framework or plan out for discussion.

As part of Perille’s presentation, she discussed the four principles of the plan. The first is the creation of more high quality learning envi-ronments for students, closing the opportunity gap, Perille said. The second is equity of program place-ment for students with disabilities and English Language Learners. Historically, these programs have frequently been placed in under-performing and lower perform-ing schools, Perille said.The third is new approaches to identifying schools using student need as the foremost indicator, and the last is fewer K-12 transitions for students

and families by “narrowing the complications of those transitions” in schools across the city.

Perille said that there are four facts that BPS is looking at with “renewed focus” for this second phase: there are currently not enough elementary seats to serve students close to home in the south-er half of the city, there are current-ly limited options for expanding Special Education, English Learner, ad K1 programs, English Learner and Special Education programs are not evenly distributed across BPS high schools, and enrollment in standalone middle schools has declined by about 1,800 students over the past six years. Perille said all of these things are “key facts and principles that underline our plan.”

“We need to be very careful about unintended consequences as we make more enrollment shifts and feeder pathway changes,” Perille said.

BPS Chief Financial Officer Nate Kuder explained what he called the “five key buckets of work” for new builds within BuildBPS—new builds and expan-sions, real estate management, renovations and reconfigurations, districtwide investments and initia-tives, and capital repairs to main-tain existing buildings. The team wanted to make clear that while not every school will get a new building, “every building will be addressed.”

He also discussed the BuildBPS cash flow, saying that Mayor Martin Walsh has committed a billion dollars for the plan. Kuder said that $744 million will come from city funds, and the rest com-ing from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). He added that $147 million is bud-geted for “projects currently in the pipeline,” including the Boston Arts Academy.

“We are working much more closely with the state than we ever have before,” said Chief Operating Officer John Hanlon. “Since 2015, we’ve accessed $117 million in funds from the state,” he added. He said that Boston did not lever-age funds from the state in the past but has started to do so.

Hanlon also discussed the cur-rent BuildBPS areas of focus. The first is the closure of the West Roxbury Education Complex, including Urban Science Academy and West Roxbury Academy. Hanlon said that they have been working closely with those com-munities over the months. The others are the reconfiguration of grade levels and the exploration of K-6 expansion, capital proj-

ects such as repairs, renovations, new builds, and real estate man-agement, districtwide initiatives such as security and schoolyard improvements, and lastly, contin-ued community engagement.

Monica Roberts, Chief Engagement Officer for BPS, talked about the community engagement that BPS has done since October of last year. She said there have been 113 community engagement meetings since October 2018, and over 937 people have attended the meetings. “We want to continue to have meetings” as the process continues, she said.

She said that what they have learned from these meetings is that people are happy to have a plan they can provide feedback on, and they are also eager to move to a K-6 configuration sooner.

Councilor Flynn wanted to know specifically how this plan is going to go about helping stu-dents with special needs. Perille said that the primary way will be through the principle of equity program placement and putting these students “in the forefront of planning.” She added that they are hoping to look past the distinction between open and selective enroll-ment schools, as there are a large number of high schools in partic-ular that serve a disproportion-ate number of these “vulnerable learners.” She said to except to see an increasing number of schools looking at how they can serve some of these students alongside their current communities.

Councilor Wu asked if there was a central place people can go to see the status of the processes for their neighborhood. Roberts said that everything is currently on the BuildBPS website, and they are in talks of creating videos or other media that will help the informa-tion become more accessible to students and their families.

Hanlon added that “we will be very specific” as plans become more definite. He said it would be a “big mistake on our part to say here’s our crystal ball,” and said that the “plan will continue to be somewhat deliberative” as they work with the communities.

“There is a huge lack of infor-mation,” said Essaibi-George, and wondered when students and families will be “touched by this investment.” “It’s frustrating to hear that we’re making a timeline to conversations,” she added.

“When I think about BuildBPS…I’m thinking about significant ren-ovations. Schools should be saved, locks should work. It is within BuildBPS that there’s an expec-

tation that we’re making a real significant investment.”

Hanlon responded to Essaibi-George’s concerns by agreeing with her that some of this work is “work that ought to be done anyway, but hasn’t been done for a number of years.”

“We are very hopeful that through these investments we will be able to get ahead of some of the deferred maintenance.” The team said they do not want to rush the process, as they have to con-sult with the communities and be aware of more unintended conse-quences, because those contributed to some of the issues that currently exist within the system.

A couple of Allston-Brighton parents testified, saying that while the schools their children go to are not in as dire need of help as others, they want to have some attention paid to their district as there is some work that needs to be done. One mother said that they spent a year fundraising for a new kitchen at her child’s school, but “are not being supported in that.” She said the new kitchen cannot be implemented because Allston-Brighton “is not a priority neigh-borhood” in this plan. Another mother said that her daughter is a student at the Jackson/Mann K-8 School in Allston, and the walls at

the school bow out so badly that the roof has detached and it leaks, and the windows no longer fit. She said it is not on the list for a rebuild or improvements through the BuildBPS program, but she thinks that it deserves some atten-tion.

Willie Bodrick, II, Associate Pastor at the Twelfth Baptist Church, said that the BuildBPS plan “lacks a clear and transpar-ent ten year timeline,” as well as an analysis to understand the effects of the plan on both current and future students. Bodrick said the plan also lacks a financial report, and ”does little to answer the questions we’ve been asking,” such as what the long-term plans of the schools are.

“The plan as written punish-es schools with highly vulnerable populations,” he said, and “doesn nothing to address the burning issue of variable equality across our district.”

Bodrick said that the fact that certain schools that are slated to close in the next year and a half (like the West Roxbury Education Complex) does “active harm” to the students who attend those schools. He requested a moratori-um of school closures and facility decisions “until there is a clear ten year plan,” he said, adding that he does not “want to continue to make plans to make plans.”

Essaibi-George said that she appreciates all of the meetings, and that one theme that has been con-sistent throughout the hearing was a “request for a clearer timeline for better understanding of what’s happening next, what’s happening over the next 10 years.”

She said that they will hear more about this plan during the process for the school committee budget, as well as the City Council budgeting process.

“We need and require a deeper understanding of what’s next for BuildBPS,” Essaibi-Geprge said. “Our families and kids deserve to know what’s next too.”

City Council holds hearing on BuildBPS update, community wants more answers

Five key buckets of work for new builds

within BuildBPS:

New builds and expansions, real estate management, renova-tions and reconfigu-rations, districtwide investments and ini-tiatives, and capital repairs to maintain existing buildings.

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PA G E 6 F E B R U A RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9T H E B O S T O N S U N

GAMEDAY CREATIVE HOSTS ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH FUNDRAISER IN THE SOUTH END

Precision Medicine Initiative, PMI, All of Us, the All of Us logo, and “The Future of Health Begins with You”

are service marks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

JoinAllofUs.org

617-768-8300 or 617-414-3300

allofus@partners.org or allofus@bmc.org

The future of health begins with youThe more researchers know about what makes each of us unique, the more tailored our health care can become.

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Founding Members of Partners HealthCare

Photos by Keiko Hiromi

Tucker Mitchell and an array of creatives staged an Alzheimer’s Research fundraiser at a location near the South End last Friday, Feb. 22. Gameday Creative hosted several musical acts, fashion and artists to the event, which attracted about 70 people.

Pictured above, Tori Doublecup and Emily Quinlann.Pictured to the right, Tucker Mitchell per-forming at Gameday Creative Fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Research.

Tucker Mitchell, Mike Burgo, Anthony Abi-Saad, Jaymes Carey, Billy O’Rouke and Derek Dwyer.

Mollie Harreys, Daniel Ray, Axel Jeremie and Hannah Correia during the Gameday Creative Fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Research.Dumel Vernet and Noelia Marti.

Luixiana Gonzalez, Cassidy Asasia, Darnys “flee” Policard, Lexi Brown and Jae Publicover during the Gameday Creative Fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Research.

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©2016 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. Equal Opportunity Employers. We fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act.

Robb Cohen · Director46 Gloucester Street, Bostonwww.robbcohen.comMobile +1-617-962-0142

Do you know your home's value in this market? If you are thinking of selling, please call me.

I offer a fresh & global approach.

Photos by Keiko Hiromi

Boston City Councilor At-Large Annissa Essaibi-George held a cam-paign kick-off at J.J. Foley’s Café in the South End on Feb. 26. Many sup-porters from different neighborhoods of Boston joined Councilor Essaibi-George for the fundraiser to begin the campaign season.

COUNCILOR ESSAIBI-GEORGE CAMPAIGN KICK-OFF AT JJ FOLEY’S CAFE

Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George, Paul Lonergan and Anne Tallon.

Erin Forry, Briana O’Neill and Erin Madore.

Amanda Daniele, Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George and Shelby Elwell. Rick Richter and Elizabeth Bertolozzi.

Maggie Burns and Charlie Smith with Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George.

Steve Fox, Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George and Bob Minnocci.

Ted Pietras, Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George and Sarah Hutt. Alkia Powell, Kevin Cole, Elsa Vyine and Tina Cole.

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Public Meeting

@BostonPlansBostonPlans.org

Teresa Polhemus, Executive Director/Secretary

20 Jersey StreetFenway Park, State Street Pavilion Boston, MA 02215

Tuesday, March 12 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

12-28 Landsdowne St. (Fenway Theater)

Project Proponent:175 Ipswich Street, LLC

Project Description:175 Ipswich Street, LLC proposes an approximately 180,000 square foot, approximately 5,000 person capacity performing arts center. The proposed project is located on a 64,700 square foot parcel at the corner of Ipswich and Landsdowne streets, adjacent to Fenway Park. The proposed project also entails improvements to Fenway Park, including a new area connected to the back of the ballpark’s bleachers with concession stands, restrooms, and function space.

mail to: Tim CzerwienskiBoston Planning & Development AgencyOne City Hall Square, 9th FloorBoston, MA 02201

phone: 617.918.5303email: tim.czerwienski@boston.gov

Close of Comment Period:3/25/2019

road and move people around the city “as safely as possible.”

Chief of Streets Chris Osgood talked about the broad context of this emerging business. He said that there is “immense innovation hap-pening” with these shared mobili-ty services. “All these innovations are focused on ‘how do we move people in cities?’” he said. These types of vehicles cost less and cause fewer emissions than cars, and are a “reliable way of getting around town,” Osgood said.

However, Osgood also said that the City of Boston “currently does not have that regulatory clar-ity” for managing and monitoring those types of vehicles, so this ordi-nance is a first step in that process. Osgood reiterated several times throughout the hearing that this ordinance is not a pilot of scooters or similar technology, and “does not set caps, license terms, dictate geographies,” or other specifics related to the devices.

The ordinance does, though, “give authority to BTD to be able to manage any shared mobility services,” Osgood said, as well as the power to issue licenses, ensure that the licenses are operating at set standards, ensuring that use of storage of the devices would hap-pen in “ways that are appropri-ate,” and “sets common sense pro-visions around what any shared micro mobility could do,” such as speed limits, etc.

Osgood made clear that the city is still “a ways off from change on the street,” he said. “We are many steps away from a pilot.” He said

the precursors to a pilot would be a change in state law (these kinds of devices are currently prohibit-ed by state law), and the ability to manage the program. He said that the ordinance would allow BTD to “use those criteria if and when we would have a pilot.”

Councilor Flaherty asked what the difference between vehicle sharing and small vehicle sharing is, as small vehicle is only listed one time in the ordinance as it is writ-ten now. Michelle Sohn, Program Director for the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, said that the main difference is that small vehicles do not need to be regis-tered—these are the types of vehi-cles that this ordinance focuses on.

Flaherty was also concerned about whose responsibility if would be if scooters were left strewn all over the streets and side-walks. He said there needs to be language in the ordinance regard-ing this, and thinks it should be the scooter companies’ responsibility to pick up the scooters, similar to the shopping cart ordinance that was passed to put pressure on stores to retrieve carts in a similar fashion.

Councilor Lydia Edwards said she wants to see a commitment for a pilot in the language of this ordinance, as it would create a sense of urgency to actually go through with a pilot program. She said she would also like to see a youth appointee on the advisory group that will be formed around this topic, as a lot of young people would be interested in riding these.

Additionally, Edwards said that having some sort of training/edu-cation and road etiquette program would be a great idea. “I think it’s really important that you’re not just changing the rules, but the cul-ture” surrounding the streets, she said. Edwards said that education for car drivers, as well as people on the scooters is necessary. She thinks this ordinance as written is “a great first step,” but she’d like to see the education component be written in.

BTD Gina Fiandaca said that any applicant for a shared mobil-ity business would need to submit a safety plan and an outreach plan before a license would be granted.

There was also discussion around the fee structure for these companies. Councilor Mark Ciommo suggested that “whatever fee structure there is that it pays for whatever staff there is to adminis-ter this program and sustain it over time.” He said this has not been done for things in the past, and the money to sustain programs has been taken out of the BTD budget.

Councilor Josh Zakim said that he’s a “fan” of shared mobility, and thinks it’s “an important aspect of our transit infrastructure, especial-ly when it comes to climate change and doing what we can to address that.”

He said he has heard “serious concerns” about this from his constituents in the Back Bay and Beacon Hill regarding issues with ADA access not just to the vehi-cles themselves but also the use of them on sidewalks. He said this is

a “continuing issue, particularly along Newbury St.”

He said that whatever program that may potentially get chosen to operate in Boston needs to have a “real system in place” for manag-ing the pickup and parking of the devices. “I look forward to hearing from some operators about this about just how precise we can be,” Zakim said.

The City Council heard from two different potential scooter companies, Lime and Bird. Scott Mullen, Director for Expansion in the Northeast for Lime, a transpor-tation sharing company. “What we want is a mode shift,” Mullen said, to enable people to get around in a different way.

“Micromobility is a real thing,” Mullen said. “Our vision is to rev-olutionize mobility in cities.” Mul-len had a few comments regarding the ordinance as it is currently written. He said it currently places limits on small vehicles, and Lime suggests demand caps, as they are able to monitor the demand of their vehicles at any given point. “If we’re hitting operational guide-lines…we should be able to scale up or down with it,” he said. He said they wouldn’t put out as many vehicles if the weather is cold or bad.

Mullen added that Lime shares its tip data with cities for free. “What we want are better condi-tions,” he said. He said they are trying to reconfigure streets so they do not remain 95 percent for cars and allow a larger percentage of them for other modes of transpor-tation.

Edwards said she was “happy to know” that they would be receiv-ing the data for free, because when the City Council asked Airbnb for similar data, they sued.

Hannah Smith, Government Relations Manager in the North-east for Bird, another transporta-tion sharing company, said that she has seen “tremendous vision and leadership” from the City of Boston. She said they have a vision for what launching Bird in Boston would look like, including people called “Bird Watchers,” who would inspect each vehicle to make sure it is parked properly and issues are addressed.

Smith also said that Bird is “deeply committed to ensuring that our service is rooted in equi-ty,” offering discounts to people on public assistance. The Bird app can also be viewed in 14 different lan-guages and dialects, she said.

She said that Bird requires all users to take photos of their scoot-er to complete their ride, or they will continue to get charged. She said that for parking, there could be something designated on a sidewalk denoting a parking area

for the scooters, or potentially geofencing capabilities.

According to their representa-tives, Neither Lime nor Bird sells customer data to third parties, which was a concern brought up by the council.

During the public testimony por-tion of the hearing, Martin Roetter, a Back Bay resident and member of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay, said that these scooters “give us an opportunity to tackle what is already a problem.” He cited the new bike lane on Bea-con St., saying that some cyclists use the lane, but others continue to use the roadway or sidewalk for cycling.

“It’s a sidewalk, not side bike, not side scoot,” he said. He said he does not want to see scooters use sidewalks and wondered how that is going to be enforced in the future. Additionally, he was con-cerned about who would be liable when accidents “inevitably occur,” and said that he would like to see insurance companies involved in the process moving forward.

“I look forward on behalf of NABB to making sure that we use…knowledge of residents in formulating rules and regulations that will be established,” Roetter said.

On a similar note, Councilor Fred Baker was concerned with people suing the city for accidents. Sohn said that the ordinance is written that applicants will agree to hold the city unaccountable for what happens with their products, “but the details still need to be filled in,” she said.

Olivia Baker, a member of the Boston Disability Commission advisory board, said that the board has a few issues with the scooters, mainly that they are not accessible to the disability community. Baker said that she has concerns as well about them being used on side-walks, noting potential collisions with people who cannot hear or see the devices. She applauded the fact that a person from the Disabil-ity Commission is going to be on the advisory board.

She also said she was concerned about head injuries, and said she has the same complaint with Blue-Bikes, as there is “no enforceable ordinance requiring folks to wear helmets when using these vehicles in the city.”

There is much left to be discussed surrounding this issue before any scooters will be available across the city, but “we have an opportu-nity to set the standard,” O’Mal-ley said. He said the city can study how other cities have handled this type of transportation to see what the shortcomings were, so Boston can “make sure we do this right.”

ScooterS (from pg. 1)

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Members of the Boston legislative Delegation, including State Reps. Jon Santiago, Aaron Michlewitz, Jay Livingstone and Chynah Tyler, recently visited Pine Street Inn to show support for homeless individuals in the city and to learn more about the support system in place serving these individuals. Members of the Coalition for Homeless Individuals (CHI) including Project Place, the Boston Public Health Commission, and St. Francis House joined with Pine Street Inn for the presentation. In addition to the dis-cussion and briefing, attendees assisted staff and volunteers with food prep in the kitchen and participated in mock interviews with job trainees from Project Place. Pictured here: (L to R) Rep. Kevin Honan, Rep. Adrian Madaro, Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, Rep. Chynah Tyler, Rep. Jay Livingstone, Rep. Jon Santiago, Rep. Dan Ryan, Rep. Dan Cullinane, and Rep. Michael Moran.

•The South End Forum will have its quarterly meeting on Tues-day, March 26, 6 p.m. at the AC Hotel, 225 Albany St. Other meet-ing will be May 7 and June 11.

•SoWa First Friday will take place on Friday, March 1 in the SoWa Art + Design District. The time takes place from 5-9 p.m.

•Tuesday, March 19: The Bos-ton Ward 4 Democratic Com-mittee will be meeting at 6 p.m. at the South End Library for a Q&A session with State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz and State Reps. Jay Livingstone, Aaron Michlewitz, and Chynah Tyler, followed by a panel discussion with transit experts Chris Dempsey for Trans-portation for Massachu-setts, Stacy Thompson of Livable Streets Alliance, and Lee Matsueda of Alternatives for Community & Environment. Email any questions to ward4dems@gmail.com.

•The Grayken Center at BMC

will hold naloxone training ses-sions on March 14th (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and May 8 (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) in the Menino Lobby of Bos-ton Medical Center. Attendees will learn how to respond to an opioid overdose and fill out a request for naloxone.

•South End Writes: Dan Kelly, principal architect of the firm that began as Mitchell/Giurgola, which designed the South End library in the late 1960s, will be at the library Tuesday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m., to talk about the Philadelphia architects whose vision informed the building’s dynamic, angular profile.Mitchell/Giorgola became a prominent firm, with Romaldo Giurgola the chair of the Depart-ment of Architecture at Columbia University, before he left for Can-berra, Australia, where he won the award to design the Australian Parliament building.

FENWAY TIMES•BILLY JOEL RETURNS TO

FENWAY PARKThe Boston Red Sox announced

that Billy Joel will return to Fen-way Park on Sep-tember 14. He will also be the first artist to be inducted into a Music Hall of Fame display being created this offseason depicting the artists who have had multiple successful shows at Fen-way Park. Tickets will go on sale to the public on Thursday, January 17 at 10am.

--Phish will also be playing at Fenway Park on July 5 and 6. Tickets will go on sale to the pub-lic beginning Friday, February 1 at 10am.

--The Who will take the stage at Fenway Park on Friday, September 13. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, Janu-ary 24 at 10am.

DELEGATION VISITS PINE STREET

News Briefs (from pg. 4)

(News Briefs Pg. 11)

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For RecordFor RecordFrom the Feb. 27 License Board hearing, City Hall:•SPEAKEASY GROUP, INC. AS G.P. OF SPEAKEASY L.P. D/B/A: STORYVILLE

& MINIBAR, 90 EXETER St., Back Bay. Holder of a Common Victualler 7 Day All Alcoholic Beverages License has petitioned to amend the description of the

licensed business - From: In one room on first floor with bar at east wall, main entrance to hotel lobby and exit to Huntington Avenue. In 2 rooms, kitch-en and stock room in basement. Sub-Basement for stock also to include an outdoor seasonal patio on private property from April through October. Capacity breakdown: Minibar – 90 Persons inside (58 seated, 32 standing), Outside – 24; Storyville 420 (144 seated, 276 stand-ing). To: In one room on first floor with entrance/exit to Exeter Street, main hotel lobby, and loading dock. Basement with two rooms with bar at east wall, bar at west wall, and center bar, as well as separate kitchen, stock room, and restrooms. Secondly, has petitioned to remove con-ditions pertaining to Minibar Patio: 1. Closing hour 12:30 a.m. 2. No more than 24 patrons. 3. Alcohol service with food only. Lastly, has petitioned to change the d/b/a of the licensed business From: Storyville and Minibar To: Storyville.

COMMITTEE ON PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND TRANSPORTATION HEARING:Order for a hearing on Feb. 28 at 9:30 a.m. in City Hall regarding the MBTA’S Better Bus

Project. The Chair of the Committee is Councilor Michelle Wu and the Sponsor is Councilor Michelle Wu.

From the Feb. 28 Non-Hearing Common Victualler Hearing, City Hall, 10 a.m:The Following have applied for a One Day Amendment to be voted on February 28:•Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA 02115 have applied for a One Day

Amendment to extend closing time to 2 a.m. on March 15 and 16 for and opening event. The event will go from 8 p.m. – 2 a.m.

CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS HEARING:A Feb. 28 hearing at noon in City Hall regarding the FY19 BPS transportation budget. The

Chair of the Committee is Councilor Ciommo. The Sponsor of the Docket is Councilor Essaibi-George.

From the March 4 Boston Landmarks Design Review meeting, Comm Ave Mall (Collins Statue Clarendon/Dartmouth), 5:30 p.m.

•On Monday, March 4, at 5:30 p.m., the Boston Landmarks Commission Design Review Committee will hold a meeting at the Collins Statue within the Commonwealth Avenue Mall (between Clarendon and Dartmouth Streets) to view a lighting mock-up and discuss renovation of the Patrick Collins statue.

From the March 5 Licensed Premise Violations Hearing, City Hall, 10 a.m.:•Newbury Fine Dining Limited Partnership, doing business as: Sonsie, 327 Newbury St., Back

Bay. Date: 11/17/2018, Assault and battery with dangerous weapon (glass) patron on patron.•Baseball Tavern, Inc., d/b/a: Baseball Tavern, 1270 Boylston St., Fenway. Date: 11/21/2018:

Overcrowding in basement level; 122 found on mechanical count. (Licensed capacity of 106).•The Metropolitan Club, Inc., d/b/a: Met Prime, 279 Dartmouth St., Back Bay. Date:

11/21/2018: Extension of premise without Boston Licensing Board approval; 27 seats at Saltie Girl.

CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION HEARING:Order for a March 5 hearing at 10 a.m. in City Hall on admission to Boston’s exam

schools. The Chair of the Committee is Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George and the Sponsors are Councilors Kim Janey and Andrea Campbell.

From the March 5 South End Landmarks meeting, City Hall, 5:30 p.m.:VIOLATIONS•119 Pembroke St.: Ratification of unapproved work on windows on the front façade.DESIGN REVIEW•29 Rutland Sq. (Previously Heard on 11/2018 & 1/2019) At front façade levels G,1,2,3

replace 8 original (6 curved, 4 straight sash) wood, two over two windows and 2 non-original (Fl. G & 1) two over two, wood windows with wood, two over two windows (8 curved and 2 straight sash).

•41 Worcester Sq. (Previously Heard on 1/2019) At rear of the structure, install exhaust vent that rises above the mansard roof.

•18 Holyoke St. At front façade all levels replace 12 original wood, 2 over 2 windows with 12 wood, 2 over 2 wood windows.

•3 Bond St. Remove and replace chimney in kind. At front façade, all levels, replace 6 over 6 windows with 2 over 2 windows.

•157 West Canton St. At front and side façade, all levels, replace six, 2 over 2, wood, bowed windows; seven, 2 over 2, wood windows, and two, 1 over 1, wood windows in kind.

•28 Concord Sq. Install Roof Deck (See Additional Items in Admin Review).ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW•519 Albany St.; 15A Cazenove Street; 546 Columbus Ave #1 &2; 28 Concord Sq.; 88

Pembroke St.; 20 Rutland St.; 1 Saint Charles St.; 590 Tremont St. #2; 8 Yarmouth St.; 42 West Newton St.; and 70 West Rutland Sq.

COMMUNITY MEETING FOR PROPOSED CANNABIS ESTABLISHMENT (253 Tremont St., next to Shubert Theatre): There will be community outreach meeting for a proposed cannabis establishment on March 5 at 6 p.m. in the Revere Hotel.

From the March 7 Tree Removal Hearing, 1010 Mass. Ave., 11:30 a.m.:• Request to remove 12 public shade trees in the Fenway/Kenmore area:The request is for the removal of the following 12 trees in the vicinity of Kenmore Square due

to redesign of the streetscape as part of a retail and office redevelopment project: one London plane tree measuring 6” dbh (diameter at breast height) located at 648 Beacon Street; one honey locust tree measuring 7” dbh located at 650 Beacon Street; one honey locust tree measuring 6” dbh located at 652 Beacon Street; four red maple trees measuring 4” dbh each located at 660 Beacon Street; two London plane trees measuring 3” dbh each located at 533 Commonwealth Avenue; one London plane tree measuring 8” dbh located at 535 Commonwealth Avenue; one sweet gum tree measuring 9” dbh located at 541 Commonwealth Avenue; and one sweet gum tree measuring 10” dbh located at 19 Deerfield Street.

Public testimony will be taken at the hearing, or may be provided prior to the hearing in writing to the Tree Warden, Boston Parks and Recreation Department, 1010 Massachusetts Avenue, 3rdfloor, Boston, MA 02118, or by emailing parks@boston.gov with “Fenway/Kenmore Tree Hearing” in the subject line. A final decision regarding the request will be made within two weeks of the hearing. For further information, please contact the Tree Warden at 617-635-7275.

COMMUNITY MEETING FOR PROPOSED BAY VILLAGE MARIJUANA ESTABLISHMENT (129-133 Columbus Ave. – old Flash’s location):

There will be a community outreach meeting for a proposed marijuana establishment on March 7 at 6:30 p.m. in Boston Park Plaza, 50 Park Plaza.

By Lauren Bennett

The Boston Parks and Recre-ation Department returned before the Boston Landmarks Commis-sion (BLC) along with the Army Corps of Engineers on Feb. 26 regarding Phase Two of the Muddy River Flood Damage Reduction Project. Margaret Dyson, Direc-tor of Historic Parks at Boston Parks and Recreation, came before the BLC in October of last year to present the project, which was approved except for the flood wall that would surround the Boston Fire Department Control Center in the Back Bay Fens. Phase Two includes dredging of a flood con-trol channel through 13 areas.

The BLC was dissatisfied with the original proposal for the wall, saying that it needed more thoughtful design consideration. At the Feb. 26 hearing, Dyson brought with her the team from the Army Corps of Engineers who are responsible for the project.

Jennifer Flanagan, Project Man-ager, provided a very detailed pre-sentation with renderings of the newly proposed fence. Flanagan said that the fire-alarm building that this fence would protect was completed in 1925, and fencing has been installed around the building since 1940.

Flanagan explained the new proposal, saying that the view of the river would be enhanced by using a picket fence versus a secu-rity screened fence, which will help match the front fencing,. She also said that the existing securi-ty lighting will be reinstalled, the flood wall will have a capstone for aesthetics, and the flood wall on the sides of the building will be stepped up by a foot instead of just “deadending” into the ground.

Flanagan also presented two different materials for the wall that the Army Corps of Engineers were considering: a stone veneer wall, and a concrete wall with formliner. She talked about the pros and cons

of each, but said that they were ultimately going with the stone veneer wall, as it is a similar mate-rial as other walls in the park, and even if it is chipped, it would still look like granite beneath.

Flanagan said that the stone veneer would be placed on both sides of the fence, and the fence would be 6-feet, 6-inches tall.

Commissioner David Berarduc-ci asked why the “extra pieces of fence” were necessary and why the wall needed to be stepped up in the way that it is presented. He said there is “no need” to have extra heigh when it can be minimized, and suggested that only a few inch-es of the footing be exposed above the grade.

Flanagan said that their intent with the stepping was to improve the aesthetics of the wall. “We were trying to introduce this so that it blends into the landscape and provides an aesthetic feature,” Flanagan said.

Berarducci said that since the

wall was the Commission’s orig-inal issue, it should be minimized “as much as possible.” He suggest-ed reducing the amount of step and saving money, as that would be a lot of granite they wouldn’t need to purchase.

Commissioner Brad Walker was concerned about what the existing security lights would look like once they are placed with this new fence, as it is “much more delicate.”

Dyson said that she anticipates having to review the way the light-ing is run. In the fence and the fixtures with BLC staff, as well as samples of the exact stone that will be used.

Berarducci said that the point would be to “minimize the visual-ness” of the lights, and wants the housetop of the light to be as “min-imal as possible” from outside the fence. He added that he would like to see the stone choice be more monochromatic.

Mission Hill resident Allison Pultinas said that bringing the

fence lower towards the roadway “would be a nice thing to do.”

Another resident near the area of the fence wanted to know what happens on the other side of the path for flood mitigation. Dyson responded by saying that most of the flood control will be on the Vic-tory Gardens side of the river.

“Well this is a huge change and I appreciate the effort you’ve put into it,” Beraducci told the team. They approved the fence as pre-sented at the hearing, with the pro-visos that direction will be given regarding the color of the stone, and the cap stone has to be a simi-lar color to the other stone. Walker added that they should speak with the fire department and ask them if it is possible for the fence in front turn the corner slightly. “I think that would be an improvement,” he said. All of these details are to be worked out with BLC staff, and the team does not have to appear at another hearing.

Boston Landmarks Commission approves Muddy River flood wall

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LOOKING BACK AT BOSTON

COURTESY OF THE SOUTH END HISTORICAL SOCIETY

St. Charles Street. This week’s featured image is of a young boy poised to throw a snowball on St. Charles Street in February 1896.The South End Historical Society was formed in the 1966 and continues to advocate for the preservation and history in the neighborhood. The organization is located on Chester Square and holds many treasures of the South End’s distant and near past.

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FOOD COMAOn Friday, Feb. 15, at around

10:15 a.m., police responded to a radio call for a removal at McDon-ald’s at 540 Commonwealth Ave.

On arrival, officers observed the suspect, who was known to them and had an active warrant out of West Roxbury District Court, sleeping on a bench inside the restaurant. The suspect was removed from the premises and placed in handcuffs due to his vio-lent nature before police transport-ed him to West Roxbury District Court.

MEAT AND GREETOn Sunday, Feb. 17, at approxi-

mately 2:07 p.m., police responded to a radio call for a breaking and entering at the Lenox Hotel at 51 Exeter St.

On arrival, police spoke to the hotel’s head of security who said at about 6:43 a.m., an unknown male suspect entered the driveway that leads to the rear of the building and pulled open the doors, which had been previously damaged. The suspect then entered a walk-in cooler and filled two bags with an unknown quantity of meat.

The head of security provided police with a surveillance video showing the apparent theft.

OFF-TARGETOn Sunday, Feb. 24, at about

8:10 p.m., officers responded to a

radio call to investigate a person at Target at 1341 Boylston St.

Upon arrival, police spoke to the store’s asset protection agent, who said they had a suspect in custody suspected of taking items from the store numerous times over the past week.

The agent said at approximately 1:15 p.m., the suspect entered the store, removed a bottle of liquor from the shelf and took it into the bathroom. Because of the suspect’s high level of intoxication, para-medics were called to remove him from the store.

The suspect returned that eve-ning and stole a bottle of Smirn-off vodka and a package of Fruit of the Loom boxers, with a total value of $41.22.

The suspect told police he had been drinking and didn’t recall EMTs removing him from the store earlier that day. Officers observed the suspect was still wearing a medical bracelet from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and that his speech was slightly slurred. The suspect denied stealing mer-chandise from the store on previ-ous occasions, but agreed to return the items he had taken that night.

Target security and police advised the suspect that he was being trespassed from the store, and would be subject to arrest if he returned there. He will be sum-monsed to Roxbury District Court on shoplifting charges.

72121103

ADVERTISEMENT CITY OF BOSTON/COUNTY OF SUFFOLK

The City of Boston, Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF), (The Official) is seeking written quotations from qualified contractors for the procurement of the following services:

Reconstruction of fire-damaged Sauna Room at the BCYF Curley Community Center located at 1663 Columbia Road, South Boston, MA 02127 The bid documents will be accessible online from Monday, February 25, 2019 through Friday, March 15, 2019 by visiting the City of Boston Public Procurement website at the following link http://www.cityofboston.gov/procurement/ and accessing the event ID # EV00006459, or call Varnie Jules, Finance Unit Manager @ 617-635-4920 x 2149. All written quotes shall be filed electronically no later than 4:00pm on Friday, March 15, 2019 by login onto the City of Boston Procurement website as listed and accessing the above listed event number. Written quotes will be opened electronically on Friday, March 15, 2019 at 4:00 PM. The contract awarded pursuant to this invitation for price quotes will commence on or about March 22, 2019 and will end on June 30, 2019.

This building project is being procured as per the Commonwealth of Massachusetts MGL c149, Section 44A. Evidence of OSHA Training & Prevailing Wage Rates will apply to this procurement. The total cost of this project shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00).

The maximum time for bid acceptance by the City after the opening of bids shall be ninety days (90 days). The City/County and the Official reserve the right to reject any or all bids, or any item or items thereof.

The City/County and the Official reserve the right to reject any or all bids, or any item or items thereof if found to be not in the best interest of the public.

William Morales, Commissioner

(Feb 25, March 4,)

Reconstruction of Fire-damaged Sauna Room @ BCYF Curley CC. Event ID: EV00006459 72121103

ADVERTISEMENT CITY OF BOSTON/COUNTY OF SUFFOLK

The City of Boston, Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF), (The Official) is seeking writ-ten quotations from qualified contractors for the procurement of the following services: Reconstruction of fire-damaged Sauna Room at the BCYF Curley Community Center located at 1663 Columbia Road, South Boston, MA 02127

The bid documents will be accessible online from Monday, February 25, 2019 through Friday, March 15, 2019 by visiting the City of Boston Public Procurement website at the following link http://www.cityofboston.gov/procurement/ and accessing the event ID # EV00006459, or call Varnie Jules, Finance Unit Manager @ 617-635-4920 x 2149.

All written quotes shall be filed electronically no later than 4:00pm on Friday, March 15, 2019 by login onto the City of Boston Procurement website as listed and accessing the above listed event number.

Written quotes will be opened electronically on Friday, March 15, 2019 at 4:00 PM. The contract awarded pursuant to this invitation for price quotes will commence on or about March 22, 2019 and will end on June 30, 2019.This building project is being procured as per the Commonwealth of Massachusetts MGL c149, Section 44A. Evidence of OSHA Training & Prevailing Wage Rates will apply to this pro-cure-ment. The total cost of this project shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00). The maximum time for bid acceptance by the City after the opening of bids shall be ninety days (90 days). The City/County and the Official reserve the right to reject any or all bids, or any item or items thereof.The City/County and the Official reserve the right to reject any or all bids, or any item or items thereof if found to be not in the best interest of the public.

William Morales, Commissioner(Feb 25, March 4,)

NEWS BrIEfS (from pg. 9)

--Zac Brown band will play at Fenway Park on Saturday, August 31. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, Feb. 8.

•The Peterborough Senior Cen-ter holds bingo at 12:30 and a Tech Café at 11 a.m. every Wednesday. Come play bingo and meet new people, or can get help with your phone or tablet/computer.

•44th Annual Gardeners Gather-ing

On Saturday, March 23 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Northeastern Uni-versity Shillman Hall & The Egan Center, Join local and regional gar-

deners at this annu-al event hosted by The Trustees of the Reserva-tions--all free and open to the pub-lic! *Over two dozen gardening, urban homesteading, and commu-nity organ-izing workshops**Key-note address & presentation of the Community Garden Awards by Mayor Walsh**Special guest speaker Aziz Dehkan, Executive Director of New York City Com-munity Garden Coalition**Exhib-itors’ gallery: Boston-area agricul-ture, gardening, and environmen-tal organizations*A detailed itiner-ary will be available at a later date.

PA G E 1 2 F E B R U A RY 2 8 , 2 0 1 9T H E B O S T O N S U N