Boston Common Overhaul

JohnAKeith said:
Some sort of update on the status of the renovations, although I'll be damned if I couldn't find any sort of date attached to story.



http://fopg.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/brewer-fountain-closer-to-completion-every-day/
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Dated Sept 22

Apparenly 32 of a new varietty of elm tree have or are in the process of being planted near to the Fountain

Another quote from an update from a week earlier -- claims major evidence of completion coming in the next month -- since the source is the Friends of the Boston Public Garden (extremely well connected mostly Beacon Hill and Back Bay residents) -- I'll take their word for it
 
Trees were sitting around a couple days ago, looks like they're all in the ground now.
 
Brewer Fountain plaza re-opens on Boston Common with improvements

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By Johanna Kaiser, Town Correspondent

The historic Brewer Fountain is once again on display on Boston Common after months of construction to improve its surrounding area.

Construction around the fountain, which was restored in May 2010, ended earlier this month to reveal a new stone plaza and repaved pathways. The plaza has new storm drain and irrigation systems and wooden benches that face the fountain along its perimeter.

The Friends of the Public Garden, the private group that helps maintain the Common, expect to add tables, a gourmet food truck, and live piano music during lunch in the plaza by spring.

More improvements are planned for the area near the fountain, including fencing and a green strip to separate the park from Tremont Street, and pathway improvements designed to enhance the connection from Park Street T station to Brewer Plaza. These changes are expected to be completed by spring 2013.

Although the plaza is open, temporary fencing still surrounds grassy areas around the plaza. The Friends of the Public Garden say some of that construction is part of an MBTA project to install a new elevator for the Park Street station.

Kaiser can be reached at johanna.yourtown@gmail.com.
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Two questions to anyone who has been by this already.

Are those concrete pavers or real stone?
Is that really asphalt around the stone?
 
Quick walk-through the other day appeared to be stone and yes that is asphalt. The asphalt looks temporary in the way it connects to the remaining concrete paths and awkwardly interfaces around Park Street's head house.
 
I don't get the sense that the asphalt is temporary. For some reason we seem to think asphalt is an acceptable means of paving public walkways. It's absurd/pathetic.
 
sidewalks said:
I don't get the sense that the asphalt is temporary. For some reason we seem to think asphalt is an acceptable means of paving public walkways. It's absurd/pathetic.
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You advocate concrete?
 
I'm guessing that the Parks Dept is intending to make the multi-use pathways in the Common asphalt and the pedestrian only sidewalks concrete. I noticed in the recently redone section that the area on the Common side of the planters is now asphalt where it used to be concrete, but the area between the planters and Tremont St has been redone in concrete, as it was before this project.
 
I assume it's a combination of value engineering and American indifference to quality/aesthetics. But go to Manhattan and see the investment made in places like Madison Square or Washington Square. This sort of nonsense wouldn't be allowed.
 
sidewalks said:
I assume it's a combination of value engineering and American indifference to quality/aesthetics. But go to Manhattan and see the investment made in places like Madison Square or Washington Square. This sort of nonsense wouldn't be allowed.
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Sidewalker --

Blue stone, flagstones, granite slabs
Asphault
Stone dust
Concrete
Concrete - pavers aka bricks
Cobble stones (real ones)
wooden and composite decking
steel grate decking

all can be useful and appropriate pavement -- it all depends on the location, amount of use, type of user, etc.

cobblestones -- if they are already there -- well then keep them -- but they are not appropriate for new construction

I like brick or more commonly concrete pavers made to look like brick -- especially for the Freedom Trail and for more aestrhetic sensitive sites -- howerver it is somewhat treacherous in the winter when icy and over time it tends to become hard to walk on even under good conditions

stone is fine for borders and accents -- but it is expensive to maintain

concrete sidewalks, stone dust and asphault are good utilitarian path materials

wood and composite decks are appropriate along the water's edge in high traffic and more formal areas

steel grates -- just for old draw bridges

parts of the Common just like the whole ofthe Public Garden are formal and should be treated that way with stone, brick or concrete

Much of the Common paths are utilitarian and should be asphault or even stone dust

I would presume that the Friends have some opinons on these things
 
If it's not marble, then I'm not walking on it

*Exception being lush white sand beach
 
Asphalt is the cheapest material you can use...the Boston Common (not to mention the Public Garden) is one of the premier public spaces in our city. Using such an unappealing material shows a lack of civic pride in my opinion. Thermal Bluestone pavers could be had for $4.50 PSF, last 100 years, and add beauty to the park. Stone dust requires more vigilance and maintenance...if we didn't pay 2,000 cops over $100k per year we might have a reasonable budget for such things, alas maintenance is a joke in this town.
 
Such a measured, and reasonable response ... wait, making the police department budget part of a conversation about the Parks department? I'm going to go put my head in a toilet and scream now.
 
Is asphalt more durable than concrete?

I believe the Esplanade walkways and bike paths are asphalt.
 
I'll grant you that was way off topic and out of line. It was the wrong place to make the point. It would be better to say, that I'm frustrated by a city/system that pays more than 3,800 people in excess of $100k per year, yet can only muster an annual budget of $15mm to maintain its entire parks system. The issues aren't actually unrelated when you view the issue in that context. Of course a city can't manage to fill its most basic responsibilities when it uses its tax revenues in such a fashion.
 
Funny. This is a discussion about sidewalks, you would think it would be your thing.

For some reason the purple asphalt doesn't bother me as much as the black stuff.

I don't know if asphalt is more durable, but I'm sure it is a lot cheaper and easier to repair, which is a plus.

Of course giant slabs of granite are very durable, just insanely expensive.
 
ha, I didn't really consider the irony until now...admittedly, asphalt drives me nuts as a sidewalk paving material. I could be wrong, but I imagine that over time large bluestone pavers might be reasonably economical in comparison to asphalt, as they last decades.
 
Concrete is more durable than asphalt in terms of dealing with weight and impacts. Asphalt is far softer and will deform quite easily under concentrated weight or impact. The major advantages asphalt has over concrete, aside from cost, is that it is generally water impervious in this freeze-thaw cycle climate and has the ability to be a smooth uninterrupted surface without control joints. Asphalt laying is also a low skill, yet generally high union paying profession, with a guaranteed cycle of busy work replacement. This makes it a useful industry to political machines whom will protect it dearly.

Bluestone is a wonderful material but requires proper site preparation to not settle over time and create trip hazards. Over the extent of Park Street and Boylston Street stations a very carefully crafted sub-grade drainage and support system capped with bluestone could solve all the infiltration problems, however drainage and paving aren't politically sexy so it'll never happen. The idiot media would be gawking at the cost for "simple paving" and most people, with their only familiarity with paving really being the asphalt they park and drive on, would be furious at the expenditure.
 
PS...I opened a thread on the General page regarding the allocation of tax revenues and City of Boston salaries.
 
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