Welcome to The East Boston Foundation
Here is the website of the East Boston Foundation, a not-for-profit trust that Rep. Moran mentioned as last night's Harvard Task Force meeting. The Trust is funded by Massport. In 2004 it awarded $618,650 in grants to East Boston organizations and in 2003 it awarded $575,159. Its Board of Trustees are appointed by a variety of elected officials and comunity organizations.
The Harvard Crimson :: Opinion :: Bury Soldiers Field Road
The Harvard Crimson :: Opinion :: Bury the Parkway: "The benefits of a buried parkway would be enjoyed by all local residents, not just those in the Harvard community. As such, Harvard should not (and, given that the land is owned publicly, almost certainly cannot) undertake this initiative on its own. But given the benefits that local residents would reap from the parkway’s depression—for the first time in decades, Allston residents would enjoy unfettered access to Boston’s greatest geological treasure—city and Commonwealth officials should work with Harvard to make this initiative a reality.
A project of this scope will be neither cheap nor easy. Ultimately, however, the success of the Allston campus will depend on it. With strong leadership and effective teamwork, Harvard can help bury a parkway, integrate two academic communities, and give Allston residents their river back. "
A project of this scope will be neither cheap nor easy. Ultimately, however, the success of the Allston campus will depend on it. With strong leadership and effective teamwork, Harvard can help bury a parkway, integrate two academic communities, and give Allston residents their river back. "
Charlesview Residents Protest Move
The Harvard Crimson :: News :: Residents Protest Allston Plans: "Residents of the Charlesview Apartments in Allston gathered outside their homes yesterday evening to protest last week’s vote by the Charlesview Board of Directors to enter into a land-swap agreement with Harvard.
The group of about 30 residents, organized by the Charlesview Tenants’ Association and accompanied by around 10 Harvard students, announced their opposition to the swap, which would give Harvard the five-acre plot on which Charlesview currently stands. In return, Harvard would build a new affordable housing complex on a 6.5-acre site further southwest in Allston. "
The group of about 30 residents, organized by the Charlesview Tenants’ Association and accompanied by around 10 Harvard students, announced their opposition to the swap, which would give Harvard the five-acre plot on which Charlesview currently stands. In return, Harvard would build a new affordable housing complex on a 6.5-acre site further southwest in Allston. "
Harvard Ceramics - Show and Sale
Ceramics - Office for the Arts at HarvardCeramics - Show and Sale
Holiday Show and Sale @ 219 Western Ave (near intersection with North Harvard)
Work by more than fifty potters and sculptors: the best, largest, and most varied selection of contemporary ceramics in the area
December 14, Thursday, 3 – 8 pm, Opening Reception
December 15– 17, Friday – Sunday, 10 am – 6 pm
Holiday Show and Sale @ 219 Western Ave (near intersection with North Harvard)
Work by more than fifty potters and sculptors: the best, largest, and most varied selection of contemporary ceramics in the area
December 14, Thursday, 3 – 8 pm, Opening Reception
December 15– 17, Friday – Sunday, 10 am – 6 pm
The Harvard Crimson :: Opinion :: Harvardview Apartments
The Harvard Crimson :: Opinion :: Harvardview Apartments: "...This deal brings Harvard one step closer to a massive, and massively beneficial, expansion across the river. We are confident that, with the appropriate consultation, the Allston initiative can be good not only for Harvard but for all parties involved."
North End condo plan meets grumbling
Condo plan meets grumbling - The Boston Globe
"But the most frequent and loudest protests were aimed at the prospective 85-foot height of the project -- 37 feet taller than the existing building and 30 more than current zoning allows. Some residents said it would block their views and wall them off from the harbor. Building to such a height would need to be approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority . One speaker, addressing BRA project manager Kristin Donovan , said the variance and the project appeared to be a done deal as far as the BRA was concerned.
'Why aren't you honoring our height limits? Why aren't you helping us to maintain the character of our neighborhood?' asked Mary McGee , who said she has lived in the neighborhood for 32 years.
But former city councilor Paul Scapicchio , a North End native who is advising the developers as part of his work for the consulting firm, ML Strategies , said the project does have supporters in the neighborhood, even if none chose to voice his or her support during the meeting."
Not in Allston or Brighton, but the story sounds sadly similar, from a politically connected developer, to a large project much larger than allowed, to a feeling that the public process is a meaningless show in a project may be a 'done deal'.
"But the most frequent and loudest protests were aimed at the prospective 85-foot height of the project -- 37 feet taller than the existing building and 30 more than current zoning allows. Some residents said it would block their views and wall them off from the harbor. Building to such a height would need to be approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority . One speaker, addressing BRA project manager Kristin Donovan , said the variance and the project appeared to be a done deal as far as the BRA was concerned.
'Why aren't you honoring our height limits? Why aren't you helping us to maintain the character of our neighborhood?' asked Mary McGee , who said she has lived in the neighborhood for 32 years.
But former city councilor Paul Scapicchio , a North End native who is advising the developers as part of his work for the consulting firm, ML Strategies , said the project does have supporters in the neighborhood, even if none chose to voice his or her support during the meeting."
On Stamford Traffic-Signal Boxes, Art That Stops Traffic
On Stamford, CT Traffic-Signal Boxes, Art That Stops Traffic - New York Times
| "STAMFORD, Conn., Nov. 24 — A blown-up version of the green-and-yellow crayon box familiar from childhood sits by the Boys and Girls Club. Down the road is a white takeout carton that could feed the Chinese Army. The box outside the firehouse on Washington Boulevard appears to be aflame. And there is a half-painted picket fence on Palmers Hill Road, the brush hovering in midair as if Tom Sawyer himself had momentarily stepped away, with a sign warning, “wet paint.” What began four years ago as a tiny, grass-roots experiment to beautify the unsightly boxes that control traffic signals around town has become an unexpectedly impressive public art collection, with head-turning installations cropping up constantly to transform drab streetscapes into outdoor galleries. About 50 of the city’s 190 boxes, once covered with graffiti, are now suitable for framing." |
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What a great idea! Something that could certainly make our neighborhood a nicer place.
Harvard's community benefits - Nov 29 meeting
Happy Thanksgiving. One thing I think that North Allston has to be thankful for is the amazing opportunity we have, with Harvard, to discover new and wonderful opportunities for our community and the people who live here. It is also special that we have so many people who care about this neighborhood and are committed to its health and vitality. Seeing 120+ people at the November 13 Harvard Task Force meeting was a great showing that demonstrated the engagement and interest of so many people.
The next Harvard Task Force meeting is next Wednesday, November 29. Like other Task Force meetings, it is at 6:30 at the Honan Library. This is another very important meeting because the topic is the community benefits that Harvard will provide to North Allston as part of the Science Complex and Art Museum development that Harvard plans to start next year. There will also be a much larger round of community benefits negotiated next year when Harvard submits their master plan for the next 10 years of their development. Like the scope of Harvard's development, the scope of that benefits agreement will be unprecedented. Starting the conversation now gives us the opportunity to develop a strong plan that spans the benefits that will be negotiated this year and next year.
Some of these benefits are likely to be physical improvements to our infrastructure (such as our roads) or public realm and open space (such as parks). Others could be related to Harvard's resources as a place of learning and teaching in such areas as medicine and public health. Or the Harvard Extension School could be made more accessible to members of our community. (Currently there are some opportunities for free Extension School credit for Allston and Brighton residents. I wonder how many people have taken advantage of this opportunity in the past. My sense is that there is not much publicity about it.) There has also been talk about the employment opportunities that will be created at Harvard's Science Complex and their subsequent developments. In other Boston neighborhoods, Harvard partners with the community through organizations like The Boston Health Care and Research Training Institute to provide education, skills training, career coaching and other services to help people obtain well-paid positions in the health care industry.
So, there are many different ways that benefits from Harvard can be good for Harvard and for North Allston and its residents. I hope you will join us on the 29th and send your thoughts to AllstonBrighton2006@googlegroups.com so we can understand the benefits that would be most important to you and your goals for our community.
The next Harvard Task Force meeting is next Wednesday, November 29. Like other Task Force meetings, it is at 6:30 at the Honan Library. This is another very important meeting because the topic is the community benefits that Harvard will provide to North Allston as part of the Science Complex and Art Museum development that Harvard plans to start next year. There will also be a much larger round of community benefits negotiated next year when Harvard submits their master plan for the next 10 years of their development. Like the scope of Harvard's development, the scope of that benefits agreement will be unprecedented. Starting the conversation now gives us the opportunity to develop a strong plan that spans the benefits that will be negotiated this year and next year.
Some of these benefits are likely to be physical improvements to our infrastructure (such as our roads) or public realm and open space (such as parks). Others could be related to Harvard's resources as a place of learning and teaching in such areas as medicine and public health. Or the Harvard Extension School could be made more accessible to members of our community. (Currently there are some opportunities for free Extension School credit for Allston and Brighton residents. I wonder how many people have taken advantage of this opportunity in the past. My sense is that there is not much publicity about it.) There has also been talk about the employment opportunities that will be created at Harvard's Science Complex and their subsequent developments. In other Boston neighborhoods, Harvard partners with the community through organizations like The Boston Health Care and Research Training Institute to provide education, skills training, career coaching and other services to help people obtain well-paid positions in the health care industry.
So, there are many different ways that benefits from Harvard can be good for Harvard and for North Allston and its residents. I hope you will join us on the 29th and send your thoughts to AllstonBrighton2006@googlegroups.com so we can understand the benefits that would be most important to you and your goals for our community.
Charlesview Residents & Harvard To Swap Coveted Land
The Harvard Crimson :: News :: Allston Residents To Swap Coveted Land
After three years of negotiations, the board of directors of Charlesview Inc., the company that owns the apartment complex at the heart of Harvard’s planned Allston campus, voted yesterday to pursue a land swap with the University.
The deal would give Harvard five acres of land next to the Business School campus in exchange for a 6.5 acre Harvard-owned site further along Western Avenue.
“I think the major item is the fact that there is 6.5 acres rather than five acres,” said Board Chair Rabbi Abraham Halbfinger, who leads one of the synagogues that administers Charlesview. “I think this has made a major change in the proposal and made us look at it a lot differently.”
Despite tenant resistance, Halbfinger remains optimistic that Charlesview will complete its move.
“I really can’t see anything that’s going to break the deal at this point, but you never know,” he said. “It’s never over ’till it’s over.”
After three years of negotiations, the board of directors of Charlesview Inc., the company that owns the apartment complex at the heart of Harvard’s planned Allston campus, voted yesterday to pursue a land swap with the University.
The deal would give Harvard five acres of land next to the Business School campus in exchange for a 6.5 acre Harvard-owned site further along Western Avenue.
“I think the major item is the fact that there is 6.5 acres rather than five acres,” said Board Chair Rabbi Abraham Halbfinger, who leads one of the synagogues that administers Charlesview. “I think this has made a major change in the proposal and made us look at it a lot differently.”
Despite tenant resistance, Halbfinger remains optimistic that Charlesview will complete its move.
“I really can’t see anything that’s going to break the deal at this point, but you never know,” he said. “It’s never over ’till it’s over.”
Pepper spray incident routs Brighton school
Pepper spray incident routs Brighton school - The Boston Globe: "A 15-year-old student was arrested yesterday after he allegedly detonated a canister of pepper spray at Thomas A. Edison Middle School in Brighton, sending 41 students and a teacher to area hospitals"
'Sobering' Harvard housing studies conference revisits rental housing
'Sobering' housing studies conference revisits rental housing
A great example of the kind of expertise that Harvard can bring to improving Allston
"The executive director of Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, Eric Belsky, opened a national summit on rental housing policy Tuesday morning (Nov. 14) with a sobering assessment of America's rental properties as increasingly unaffordable, rundown, and concentrated in blighted neighborhoods.
'I want to create the impression in your mind that these are major challenges. These forces are significant. They are not small, not modest,' Belsky told a packed room in the Taubman Building's Nye Conference Center. 'There's a lot of reason to be concerned.'
After laying out the complex and persistent challenges besetting the industry, Belsky called on the 'Revisiting Rental Housing' conference participants to push beyond old ways of thinking about those problems and to strive for bold, innovative solutions during the two-day meeting. "
A great example of the kind of expertise that Harvard can bring to improving Allston
"The executive director of Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, Eric Belsky, opened a national summit on rental housing policy Tuesday morning (Nov. 14) with a sobering assessment of America's rental properties as increasingly unaffordable, rundown, and concentrated in blighted neighborhoods.
'I want to create the impression in your mind that these are major challenges. These forces are significant. They are not small, not modest,' Belsky told a packed room in the Taubman Building's Nye Conference Center. 'There's a lot of reason to be concerned.'
After laying out the complex and persistent challenges besetting the industry, Belsky called on the 'Revisiting Rental Housing' conference participants to push beyond old ways of thinking about those problems and to strive for bold, innovative solutions during the two-day meeting. "
Alumnus interruptus - How Harvard, BU, BC, and others control the message that gets to its graduates — and funding base
Alumnus interruptus - News - The Phoenix
"...But rather than take pride in the bi-monthly’s stellar 108-year-old reputation, university administrators effectively declared war on Harvard magazine earlier this year when they brought out an in-house competitor. The new rag, The Yard — which Harvard sends four times a year to alumni, big donors, and parents of students — strikes a decidedly more self-flattering tone than its independent counterpart.
Why the change, and why now? In a word, the answer is: fundraising. As the Wall Street Journal reported in June, “fund-raisers determined that Harvard magazine was no longer serving their best interests.”
...Yet in recent years, Harvard, like almost all universities, has been eager to limit how much the public in general, and alumni in particular, learn about what’s really happening on campus.
Boston University’s alumni mag, Bostonia, deserves some credit for an investigative piece on grade inflation in its fall 2006 issue. But recent editions have also been heavy on self-congratulation, running articles such as a profile of BU students who aided Hurricane Katrina victims over spring break, and a puff piece on new president Robert A. Brown’s inauguration, which breathlessly reported that he is committed to “excellence, connectivity, engagement, and inclusion.”
Boston College magazine might take the prize for bias in 2006. In a shameless bit of puffery, editor Ben Birnbaum, also a university vice-president, assigned himself a summer 2006 cover-story profile of his boss, university president Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. The piece, under the pretext of describing a typical week in the life of a college president, mainly reiterated statistics that show a tremendous level of growth under Leahy’s leadership — numbers alumni are already bombarded with during fundraising campaigns. Birnbaum did address the most common criticism of Leahy: that he’s rarely on campus long enough to meet with undergrads. But missing altogether was any line of questioning over matters of much graver significance: increased student and faculty concern over gay rights on campus, for example, or attempts by the president’s office to rein in an independent student newspaper — topics that have captured national media attention and surely would have piqued the interest of most alumni.
Here are a few excerpts from this story in the Phoenix. A blog, "Harvard Extended", also weighed in on this subject a few months ago. Here is a link to the article in The Wall Street Journal on the same subject.
"...But rather than take pride in the bi-monthly’s stellar 108-year-old reputation, university administrators effectively declared war on Harvard magazine earlier this year when they brought out an in-house competitor. The new rag, The Yard — which Harvard sends four times a year to alumni, big donors, and parents of students — strikes a decidedly more self-flattering tone than its independent counterpart.
Why the change, and why now? In a word, the answer is: fundraising. As the Wall Street Journal reported in June, “fund-raisers determined that Harvard magazine was no longer serving their best interests.”
...Yet in recent years, Harvard, like almost all universities, has been eager to limit how much the public in general, and alumni in particular, learn about what’s really happening on campus.
Boston University’s alumni mag, Bostonia, deserves some credit for an investigative piece on grade inflation in its fall 2006 issue. But recent editions have also been heavy on self-congratulation, running articles such as a profile of BU students who aided Hurricane Katrina victims over spring break, and a puff piece on new president Robert A. Brown’s inauguration, which breathlessly reported that he is committed to “excellence, connectivity, engagement, and inclusion.”
Boston College magazine might take the prize for bias in 2006. In a shameless bit of puffery, editor Ben Birnbaum, also a university vice-president, assigned himself a summer 2006 cover-story profile of his boss, university president Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. The piece, under the pretext of describing a typical week in the life of a college president, mainly reiterated statistics that show a tremendous level of growth under Leahy’s leadership — numbers alumni are already bombarded with during fundraising campaigns. Birnbaum did address the most common criticism of Leahy: that he’s rarely on campus long enough to meet with undergrads. But missing altogether was any line of questioning over matters of much graver significance: increased student and faculty concern over gay rights on campus, for example, or attempts by the president’s office to rein in an independent student newspaper — topics that have captured national media attention and surely would have piqued the interest of most alumni.
Harvard students named Rhodes Scholars
Six Harvard students named Rhodes Scholars - The Boston Globe: "Joshua Billings would like to develop a collaboration between a university and public schools. He has worked for two summers with a program for Cambridge middle school students.
'Literature is what brought me to learning,' said Billings. 'I want to help others to come to that love.'"
'Literature is what brought me to learning,' said Billings. 'I want to help others to come to that love.'"
Harvard undergrads have a lot to offer with their programs that reach out to the community. As Harvard and Allston become more connected I hope that they will recognize the opportunities to contribute to the community.
Now we know (more about the Romney Mass Pike toll "cut")
Now we know - The Boston Globe: "Tom Trimarco, Romney's secretary of administration and finance and a turnpike board member, predicted in a letter yesterday that the toll increases would be 'modest . . . approximately 15 cents at each of Weston and Allston for passenger cars.'
Consider: The Healey/Romney scheme would end tolls in Western Massachusetts, where 50 percent to 70 percent of the vehicles are from out of state, and raise them in Greater Boston, where most drivers are local. "
Consider: The Healey/Romney scheme would end tolls in Western Massachusetts, where 50 percent to 70 percent of the vehicles are from out of state, and raise them in Greater Boston, where most drivers are local. "
Harvard Task force to neighbors: Come to our meetings
TownOnline.com - Local News: Task force to neighbors: Come to our meetings: "The Honan Library was packed on Monday night as neighbors gathered to hear Harvard University's proposal to build a science complex on Western Avenue. Although the Harvard Allston Task Force has been meeting since the beginning of the year to discuss the university's expansion, many people who had never attended a meeting before came out this week."
Next meeting is November 29. 6:30 at the Honan Library.
Next meeting is November 29. 6:30 at the Honan Library.
Police say drug lab found in Brighton
Police say drug lab found in Brighton; one charged - The Boston Globe: "A Brighton man is facing two felony charges after police and federal agents found what they called a drug-making laboratory in his basement, authorities said.
A Boston police detective went into the basement of the four-family house on Surrey Street and discovered what appeared to be a clandestine drug laboratory."
A Boston police detective went into the basement of the four-family house on Surrey Street and discovered what appeared to be a clandestine drug laboratory."
Colleges as city builders - Third in a series of Globe Editorials
Colleges as city builders - The Boston Globe
"A master plan update published last month by Northeastern University reflects a successful accord between the college and its neighbors on the siting of two future dormitories. But elsewhere, the bar is still too low. Harvard has retained renowned architect Stefan Behnisch, whose design for a science center includes a 125-foot building east of Barry's Corner in Allston. The early design serves the university's top scientists. But neighbors still don't know how it fits into the rest of Harvard's plans for Allston, because Harvard isn't scheduled to submit its master plan until January. This fact wasn't lost on scores of Allston residents at a community meeting Monday, who, by a show of hands, told Harvard officials that they wanted no part of a plan that arrives in pieces.
City officials promise they are watching Harvard's master plan carefully. 'If they don't get it done and done right, they won't get this building,' vows Linda Kowalcky, the mayor's liaison for higher education."
"A master plan update published last month by Northeastern University reflects a successful accord between the college and its neighbors on the siting of two future dormitories. But elsewhere, the bar is still too low. Harvard has retained renowned architect Stefan Behnisch, whose design for a science center includes a 125-foot building east of Barry's Corner in Allston. The early design serves the university's top scientists. But neighbors still don't know how it fits into the rest of Harvard's plans for Allston, because Harvard isn't scheduled to submit its master plan until January. This fact wasn't lost on scores of Allston residents at a community meeting Monday, who, by a show of hands, told Harvard officials that they wanted no part of a plan that arrives in pieces.
City officials promise they are watching Harvard's master plan carefully. 'If they don't get it done and done right, they won't get this building,' vows Linda Kowalcky, the mayor's liaison for higher education."
Councilor Yoon Files Hearing Order Regarding Use of Activity-Based Budgeting
Sounds boring, but I think this is quite important. Currently if you ask the Transportation Department, ISD, or the Police why they don't hire people to do more enforcement they correctly say that they don't have the money. If you reply "But the money that you get from the tickets, fines, etc. could more than pay for the staff to write the tickets" they tell you that the money from the fines goes into Boston's general fund, not back to their departments. Looking at different ways the City can manage its finances could make a big difference in how services are delivered to us taxpayers.
To review hearing order, click here.
To review hearing order, click here.
Allston Residents Decry Harvard’s Expansion
The Harvard Crimson :: News :: Allston Residents Decry Harvard’s Expansion
Frustrated residents vented their heated criticisms of Harvard’s latest batch of Allston plans last night, firing questions at planners from the Harvard University Allston Initiative.
“Ninety-nine percent of this document relates to Harvard’s institutional needs, and less than one percent to community concerns,” said Brent Whelan ’73, a member of the Allston Community Task Force.
“We want specifics,” one resident shouted. “We know where almost every fern in the window will be, but you’re not telling us where parking is or how traffic will be affected. This is our community you’re talking about.”
The audience applauded.
Frustrated residents vented their heated criticisms of Harvard’s latest batch of Allston plans last night, firing questions at planners from the Harvard University Allston Initiative.
“Ninety-nine percent of this document relates to Harvard’s institutional needs, and less than one percent to community concerns,” said Brent Whelan ’73, a member of the Allston Community Task Force.
“We want specifics,” one resident shouted. “We know where almost every fern in the window will be, but you’re not telling us where parking is or how traffic will be affected. This is our community you’re talking about.”
The audience applauded.
There were more than 100 people from the community at last night's meeting plus Reps Honan and Moran and Councilor McDermott. A great showing. Next meeting is Nov 29 at 6:30 at the Honan Library to discuss the community benefits that Harvard will provide in conjunction with its first phase of development.
Harvard rethinks museum move!
Harvard rethinks museum move - The Boston Globe: "The Harvard University Art Museums is reconsidering plans to turn a former bank building in Allston into its temporary home when it closes the Fogg and Busch-Reisinger museums for renovation in 2008.
HUAM may still renovate and move into the former Citizens Bank building, at 1380 Soldiers Field Road. But a feasibility study has shown that the project, announced in February, is more complicated than originally believed. So a second building, at 224 Western Ave. in Allston, is being considered.
Kathy Spiegelman, chief planner for Harvard's Allston Development Group, said Harvard hopes to pick between the two sites within a month.
The original plan called for housing the majority of the 250,000 objects in the university's collection at the former bank building. At 25,000 square feet, the second site is less than a third the size of the former Citizens Bank building. To use it, Harvard would need to expand it or build an additional structure."
HUAM may still renovate and move into the former Citizens Bank building, at 1380 Soldiers Field Road. But a feasibility study has shown that the project, announced in February, is more complicated than originally believed. So a second building, at 224 Western Ave. in Allston, is being considered.
Kathy Spiegelman, chief planner for Harvard's Allston Development Group, said Harvard hopes to pick between the two sites within a month.
The original plan called for housing the majority of the 250,000 objects in the university's collection at the former bank building. At 25,000 square feet, the second site is less than a third the size of the former Citizens Bank building. To use it, Harvard would need to expand it or build an additional structure."
Wow! The Harvard Task Force and 100+ people had a meeting with Harvard last night and there was no mention of this!I thought we were going to get a great museum of significant size on Western Ave (at the Citizens Bank building). 224 Western Ave (the "Verizon" building next to Dukin Donuts) that abuts several residential homes on Franklin Street and is not the place for a major art facility that Harvard has told us is coming to Allston.
What will Harvard's wrecking ball hit?
| According to Harvard, "The following buildings currently occupy the site and may be vacated and demolished to enable the Science Complex to proceed: - 118 & 118R Western Avenue; - 130-140 Western Avenue; - 144-148 Western Avenue; - 100 Windom Street; - 28 Travis Street; - 156 Western Avenue; and - 168 Western Avenue." That Harvard uses the word "may" is troubling. Don't they know what buildings they will need to demolish? I used Boston's online property database to find these buildings. The first problem is that 118 & 118R Western Ave do not exist according to Boston's information. I found the other 6 buildings and I was amazed how much space in the neighborhood they take up. The proposed science complex will use something like 1/2 of this space. If Harvard demolishes these buildings what will happen there? Will it be another Harvard-owned empty parking lot behind a chain link fence for years to come? |   |
Harvard's Science Center in 3D
To try to better understand what this building will look like, I made some simple models of the buildings that you can view in Google Earth. Click here to try it out. Push the "View In Google Earth" button. These shapes are admittedly very crude. Harvard probably already has 3D computer models of these buildings. It would be great if they would publish them so the rest of us can see them using the Google Earth software.
Estimate to fix state parks system leaps while Romney cuts budget
Estimate to fix state parks system leaps - The Boston Globe
The estimated cost of fixing the state's neglected park system has jumped from $800 million to $1.1 billion, a top state official confirmed yesterday.
The new calculation came one day after Governor Mitt Romney announced $7 million in cuts to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation's maintenance budget as part of a $425 million spending freeze.
In addition to the parks' maintenance budget, Romney sliced a wide range of environmental items, such as $154,590 for environmental law enforcement, $288,900 dedicated to helping communities provide cleaner water to residents, and $181,886 for hazardous waste cleanup.
The estimated cost of fixing the state's neglected park system has jumped from $800 million to $1.1 billion, a top state official confirmed yesterday.
The new calculation came one day after Governor Mitt Romney announced $7 million in cuts to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation's maintenance budget as part of a $425 million spending freeze.
In addition to the parks' maintenance budget, Romney sliced a wide range of environmental items, such as $154,590 for environmental law enforcement, $288,900 dedicated to helping communities provide cleaner water to residents, and $181,886 for hazardous waste cleanup.
The Paradoxes of Businesses as Do-Gooders
The Paradoxes of Businesses as Do-Gooders - New York Times
This is an interesting story about the annual Business for Social Responsibility conference. It looks at the attitude, very much in vogue at many companies, that the business world should help solve problems that are not directly related to the businesses' core mission (such as climate change or the plight of factory workers in developing nations). This subject makes a good companion to the Globe editorials earlier this week about businesses becoming less socially involved which creates an opening for universities to fill this void.
Turns out Harvard's Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative is looking at these very issues as part of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government.
This is an interesting story about the annual Business for Social Responsibility conference. It looks at the attitude, very much in vogue at many companies, that the business world should help solve problems that are not directly related to the businesses' core mission (such as climate change or the plight of factory workers in developing nations). This subject makes a good companion to the Globe editorials earlier this week about businesses becoming less socially involved which creates an opening for universities to fill this void.
Turns out Harvard's Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative is looking at these very issues as part of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government.
Make Nice to the Neighbors When Making Over Your Home (Or University)
Make Nice to the Neighbors When Making Over Your Home - New York Times
Harvard's science complex will be more than 100 times larger than the 5,100-square-foot structure that caused problems for the neighbor in this story!
Harvard's science complex will be more than 100 times larger than the 5,100-square-foot structure that caused problems for the neighbor in this story!
Votes to recess the gay marriage Constitutional Convention
How they voted - The Boston Globe: "Here's how members of the Legislature voted yesterday to recess the Constitutional Convention to Jan. 2, the last day of the legislative year, without taking action on a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. The vote was 109 to 87 in favor of a recess. A yes vote is in favor of a recess; a no vote is against:
Kevin G. Honan, D-Boston - Y
Michael J. Moran, D-Boston - Y
Jarrett T. Barrios, D-Cambridge - Y
Steve A. Tolman, D-Boston - Y
Kevin G. Honan, D-Boston - Y
Michael J. Moran, D-Boston - Y
Jarrett T. Barrios, D-Cambridge - Y
Steve A. Tolman, D-Boston - Y
Harvard must be upfront about its plans for Allston
Harvard must be upfront about its plans for Allston - The Boston Globe
A letter from Allston resident Paul Alford in response to The Globe's recent editorial.
"...We in the community want Harvard to be successful in its proposed development; it is, after all, our collective future. We are also grateful for the time, energy, and commitment that our local community task force contributes to this complicated process. However, the basic issue remains the same: transparency.
Whether institutional expansion means 500 more rowdy kids on neighborhood streets at 2 a.m. or a 530,000-square-foot stem-cell research facility 300 yards from a 100-year-old neighborhood, these developers must tell the City of Boston and, most notably, the abutters the truth about their goals. The developers must explain how they intend to become part of the neighborhoods, rather than the neighborhoods becoming part of their campuses..."
A letter from Allston resident Paul Alford in response to The Globe's recent editorial.
"...We in the community want Harvard to be successful in its proposed development; it is, after all, our collective future. We are also grateful for the time, energy, and commitment that our local community task force contributes to this complicated process. However, the basic issue remains the same: transparency.
Whether institutional expansion means 500 more rowdy kids on neighborhood streets at 2 a.m. or a 530,000-square-foot stem-cell research facility 300 yards from a 100-year-old neighborhood, these developers must tell the City of Boston and, most notably, the abutters the truth about their goals. The developers must explain how they intend to become part of the neighborhoods, rather than the neighborhoods becoming part of their campuses..."
Neigbhorhood Voter Turnout Statistics
MassVote has compiled information about voter turnout across Boston. The data is available in PDF and Excel formats. In 2005, 22% of Allston's registered voters actually voted, and in Brighton it was 29%. That is low! West Roxbury - 47%, Mission Hill - 32%, East Boston - 37%, Charlestown - 33%, South Boston - 42%. Only the Fenway was in the 20's with us.
Boston's top election officials lack experience
Boston's top election officials lack experience - The Boston Globe: "The top officials running Boston's Election Department, the commissioner and her supervisor, came to their jobs with little or no experience running elections and have had only minimal training since...Secretary of State William F. Galvin, who is making plans to oversee the Boston Election Department, said yesterday that it's important that people with experience be in charge.
"There has to be someone there, whatever their title is, who has the authority and has extensive election experience," he said.
Boston's Election Department has also been grappling with staff and budget cuts in recent years, which employees say has left the department with little institutional memory."
"There has to be someone there, whatever their title is, who has the authority and has extensive election experience," he said.
Boston's Election Department has also been grappling with staff and budget cuts in recent years, which employees say has left the department with little institutional memory."
State says it will take control of Boston voting
State says it will take control of city voting - The Boston Globe
Secretary of State William F. Galvin declared yesterday that he will seize control of the Boston Election Department because the city has repeatedly demonstrated an inability to conduct fair and smooth elections.
Secretary of State William F. Galvin declared yesterday that he will seize control of the Boston Election Department because the city has repeatedly demonstrated an inability to conduct fair and smooth elections.
The end of an antiques era in Allston
The end of an era in Allston - News - The Phoenix: "This weekend, McBride’s Furniture (167 Brighton Ave) will have a liquidation sale, after which it may or may not stay open for another week or so. And then, with the simultaneous closing of What Once Was, the store next door that occupies McBride’s sublet space, Allston will be bereft of antique stores."
Antique stores used to be something special about the retail scene in Allston. Two stores on Harvard Ave closed over the past couple years and now the last one will be gone. Sort of a shame.
State Election Details
From the City of Boston Elections Department, here are results from Boston voters choices for State Senate & State Rep. This does not include Brookline voters in the Moran/Evans race and voters from Cambridge, Sagus, Chelsea, and elswhere in the district represented by Barrios.
A total of 14,048 people voted in Allston and Brighton based on the total vote counts in the State Rep races.
| JARRETT BARRIOS | 6,183 | 74% | STEVEN A. TOLMAN | 11,755 | 79% | KEVIN G. HONAN | 5,697 | 80% | MICHAEL J. MORAN | 5,099 | 74% |
| RUSSELL EVANS | 1,090 | 16% | |||||||||
| Uncast Votes | 2,101 | 25% | Uncast Votes | 3,031 | 20% | Uncast Votes | 1,372 | 19% | Uncast Votes | 675 | 10% |
| Write-in Votes | 122 | 1% | Write-in Votes | 168 | 1% | Write-in Votes | 97 | 1% | Write-in Votes | 18 | 0% |
State Rep Mike Moran sweeps Brighton, Brookline
TownOnline.com - Local News: Moran sweeps Brighton, Brookline: " In the 14 districts Moran represents in Allston-Brighton, he received roughly 82% of the vote, according to the city of Boston’s unofficial election results. In Precinct 1 in Brookline, Moran got around 66% of the vote, according to Brookline’s unofficial results. "
A college try for Boston - Globe Editorial Part 2
A college try for Boston - The Boston Globe
This part talks about contributions colleges make to public education and other social needs of society. The Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania is given as a particularly ambitious example. Also talks about the disparity in PILOT payments - BU contributed $4.4 million in Fiscal 2007, Harvard $1.8 million, Boston College $261,000.
This part talks about contributions colleges make to public education and other social needs of society. The Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania is given as a particularly ambitious example. Also talks about the disparity in PILOT payments - BU contributed $4.4 million in Fiscal 2007, Harvard $1.8 million, Boston College $261,000.
The Role and Impact of Colleges and Universities in Greater Boston
The Carol R. Goldberg Seminars: The Role and Impact of Colleges and Universities in Greater Boston
The Globe editorial mentions this report "A New Era of Higher Education - Community Partnerships". Here are links to the project's website and to the full report. It contains many interesting examples of how universities are making this a better area and ideas about what can be done in the future.
The Globe editorial mentions this report "A New Era of Higher Education - Community Partnerships". Here are links to the project's website and to the full report. It contains many interesting examples of how universities are making this a better area and ideas about what can be done in the future.
Allston fear: Harvard is creating a 'ghost town'
Allston fear: Harvard is creating a 'ghost town' - Boston Business Journal: - Click to read this extensive story about the situation with our biggest neighbor
"Allston residents and business owners have been waiting for a decade to see what Harvard University plans to do with its extensive new holdings in the neighborhood. Now they wonder if they can wait any longer.
They fear the neighborhood is becoming a 'ghost town' -- a place that will be in limbo for years to come, dying a slow death -- as Harvard continues its buying spree and leaves buildings vacant. The university says it now owns 1.2 million square feet of commercial space in Allston, about half of it empty, and its buying hasn't let up. One activist calls it 'property warehousing.' "
"Allston residents and business owners have been waiting for a decade to see what Harvard University plans to do with its extensive new holdings in the neighborhood. Now they wonder if they can wait any longer.
They fear the neighborhood is becoming a 'ghost town' -- a place that will be in limbo for years to come, dying a slow death -- as Harvard continues its buying spree and leaves buildings vacant. The university says it now owns 1.2 million square feet of commercial space in Allston, about half of it empty, and its buying hasn't let up. One activist calls it 'property warehousing.' "
Big plan on campus - The Boston Globe
Big plan on campus - The Boston Globe
PARTICIPANTS IN a sweeping seminar on town-gown relations sponsored by the Boston Foundation in 2003 predicted that colleges and universities would take up the mantle of leadership lost by many local corporations after a spate of mergers. Rancor over past institutional expansion would fade. Academics would work for social progress in the neighborhoods, while activists embraced the colleges as engines of economic development. At hand was nothing less than "twin paradigm shifts," as former Northeastern University president Richard Freeland put it.
Not so fast.
...Across town in Allston and Brighton, neighbors along Western Avenue say they preferred living hard by industrial buildings than the vacant ones created when Harvard University bought the properties and cleared out many tenants.
...Harvard should take the lead. Much bitterness remains over the university's decision in the 1990s to purchase 52 acres in Allston covertly through proxies. Harvard subsequently engaged neighborhood groups, especially along portions of Western Avenue closest to its Cambridge campus, where it intends to build a 500,000-square-foot complex to house a stem-cell research institute. This engagement resulted in an unprecedented land-use plan showing Harvard's immediate and future space needs. But the plans are hazier the farther west one travels into the campus of the future. Bob VanMeter, head of the nonprofit Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation, says that 307,000 square feet of industrial space now owned by Harvard sits vacant west of North Harvard Street. University officials acknowledge the problem and say they are now prepared to give businesses leases ranging in length from five to 10 years. Harvard could also make a powerful statement by integrating its plans to build housing for graduate students with affordable homes for neighbors similar to Northeastern's successful Davenport Commons in Roxbury.
This is the first half of a two-part Globe editorial about the role of colleges and universities in Boston. Some excerpts:
PARTICIPANTS IN a sweeping seminar on town-gown relations sponsored by the Boston Foundation in 2003 predicted that colleges and universities would take up the mantle of leadership lost by many local corporations after a spate of mergers. Rancor over past institutional expansion would fade. Academics would work for social progress in the neighborhoods, while activists embraced the colleges as engines of economic development. At hand was nothing less than "twin paradigm shifts," as former Northeastern University president Richard Freeland put it.
Not so fast.
...Across town in Allston and Brighton, neighbors along Western Avenue say they preferred living hard by industrial buildings than the vacant ones created when Harvard University bought the properties and cleared out many tenants.
...Harvard should take the lead. Much bitterness remains over the university's decision in the 1990s to purchase 52 acres in Allston covertly through proxies. Harvard subsequently engaged neighborhood groups, especially along portions of Western Avenue closest to its Cambridge campus, where it intends to build a 500,000-square-foot complex to house a stem-cell research institute. This engagement resulted in an unprecedented land-use plan showing Harvard's immediate and future space needs. But the plans are hazier the farther west one travels into the campus of the future. Bob VanMeter, head of the nonprofit Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation, says that 307,000 square feet of industrial space now owned by Harvard sits vacant west of North Harvard Street. University officials acknowledge the problem and say they are now prepared to give businesses leases ranging in length from five to 10 years. Harvard could also make a powerful statement by integrating its plans to build housing for graduate students with affordable homes for neighbors similar to Northeastern's successful Davenport Commons in Roxbury.
Allston/Brighton Open Artist Studios
Allston/Brighton Open Studios
November 11-12, 2006
Noon - 6pm
119 Braintree Street and 20 Rugg Road
For more information call 617.254.3333
November 11-12, 2006
Noon - 6pm
119 Braintree Street and 20 Rugg Road
For more information call 617.254.3333
02138 magazine profile of Harvard Prez Derek Bok
02138 § Derek Bok, J.D. '54
Harvard's interim president has three goals, one of which is "to take care of that whole Allston-campus business" as 02138 Magazine puts it.
Harvard's interim president has three goals, one of which is "to take care of that whole Allston-campus business" as 02138 Magazine puts it.
Neighbors watch BC, St. Elizabeth's expansion plans
Neighbors watch BC, St. Elizabeth's expansion plans - The Boston Globe: "With Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center planning to expand its emergency room, and Boston College eyeing more dorms and a student center to the west and south, neighbors organized recently to try to figure out how to get the most benefit from both developments.
The Allston Brighton Community Planning Initiative , a collaboration of neighborhood groups, drew about 70 people to a meeting Oct. 25 to discuss the plans"
The Allston Brighton Community Planning Initiative , a collaboration of neighborhood groups, drew about 70 people to a meeting Oct. 25 to discuss the plans"
Company's offer to remove billboards draws skepticism
Company's offer to remove signs in Dorchester draws skepticism - The Boston Globe: "Communications giant Clear Channel has offered to take down some of the 35 billboards it controls in one section of Dorchester in exchange for being allowed to erect a single, large sign facing the Southeast Expressway."
A similar offer has been made in the past here because Clear Channel would love to put a huge billboard on the Stop & Shop that backs onto the Mass Pike
State rep candidates square off
TownOnline.com - Local News: State rep candidates square off: State Rep. Mike Moran, a Brighton Democrat, and his Republican challenger, Russell Evans of Brookline debated on Monday. Here is a summary of the event.
Gubenatorial Debate Tonight
Debate set tonight - The Boston Globe: "The four candidates for governor will face off in New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall tonight at 7 for the final televised debate of the campaign."
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