General Boston Discussion

From Saturday: BTD is ruthless...
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They should be. That space is worth more than your house
 
I get it, and I feel bad that this person's car was damaged, but somethings up here. They wouldn't have ticketed a wreck, and it doesn't look damaged enough to need a tow. BTD is not psychic and cannot tell if that seemingly minor damage was caused by a building collapse and they should give them a break or if it was preexisting. Correlation is not causation. Also, it is residential parking with a sticker and sometimes street cleaning there as far as I can tell, so I wonder what exactly it was ticketed for. If you were parked illegally then I can't really feel bad for you. However, the cynic in me thinks they may have been advised not to move it
 
www.bostonglobe.com

‘We need to be prepared for the worst’: Wu unveils $4.8 billion budget plan, bracing for potential economic turmoil - The Boston Globe

Mayor Wu did not rule out a hiring freeze or cutting certain city programs as a possibility should economic conditions reach a crisis level.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Wednesday unveiled details of her $4.8 billion budget proposal for the next fiscal year, which she said aims to protect essential city services and workers while also bracing for financial uncertainty as a result of the Trump administration’s economic policies.

[...]

Boston relies on about $300 million in federal funds every year to support city services, Wu said. While the administration is not currently considering layoffs, Wu did not rule out a hiring freeze, or cutting certain city programs,should economic conditions reach a crisis level.

[...]

Wu’s $4.8 billion proposal represents a 4.4 percent increase over the current fiscal year budget, not taking into account the $110 million the city pulled from its reserves for a program to jumpstart stalled housing projects. Including that one-time investment, Wu’s proposal grows the city’s budget by about 2 percent, year over year.

Wu’s plan includes targeted cuts to non-personnel line items such as equipment and supplies, and eliminates the equivalent of around 500 city jobs through salary savings and cutting some long-time vacancies. City Hall will also not be adding new positions, or investing in any new major programs, said Ashley Groffenberger, the city’s chief financial officer.

[...]

The budget proposal includes modest growth to some departments to improve city services, including $12.8 million more, or a 6.6 percent increase to the Streets Cabinet. Those funds will go towards improvements to trash collection that require additional contract workers and more reliable trucks and technology.

With Wu’s budget proposal in hand, the city council will now undergo months of budget meetings and hearings to determine what, if any, amendments councilors want to make.
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www.bostonglobe.com

Used by many, but in need of a ‘complete overhaul.’ At 30, where does the Reggie Lewis Center go from here? - The Boston Globe

Entering its fourth decade this year, the Reggie is facing the inevitable reckoning for that amount of wear and tear and use.
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But entering its fourth decade this year, the Reggie is facing the inevitable reckoning of that amount of wear and tear and use. The roof leaks. The HVAC system is old. The floor could use a new track. The bleachers, which can seat more than 3,000, are believed to be original. It is still considered a gem of the neighborhood, as evidenced by some recent sharp elbows about who gets to use the track there, but the gem has lost some of its shine.
[...]
The capital needs are significant, and the state is allotting $22 million for center renovations, which, after state fees, will fund $15.3 million worth of improvements in coming months. Turner expects big upgrades to happen over the next two years: a new roof, a new HVAC system, and a new track.
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www.cbsnews.com

Air quality in the Boston area is getting worse, report card says. See the grades for Massachusetts.

Air quality in the metro area that includes Boston, Worcester and Providence has gotten worse, a new report says.
www.cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com
The report looked at daily and long-term levels of particle pollution, as well as daily measures of ozone "smog" between 2021 and 2023. Worcester County saw higher daily particle pollution levels, causing its prior "B" grade to fall to a "C," the report explained. Worcester had an average number of 1.7 unhealthy air quality days per year, and the report notes that even a short-term spike in particle pollution "can be extremely dangerous and even deadly."

"Although year-round particle pollution levels showed slight improvement, the metro area remains the second worst in the Northeast for this pollutant," the report says.

The Boston area was ranked 61st worst in America for ozone pollution. Washington County in Rhode Island dropped to an "F" grade for ozone, with an average of 4.5 unhealthy days per year due to the smog.
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themissinglink said:
www.cbsnews.com

Air quality in the Boston area is getting worse, report card says. See the grades for Massachusetts.

Air quality in the metro area that includes Boston, Worcester and Providence has gotten worse, a new report says.
www.cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com
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Feel like this problem is only going to get worse as wildfires up north grow more common. That said, I think coastal New England still routinely has some of the best air quality in the country--certainly better than the West and Midwest.
 
Late response, but:

JohnAKeith said:
Hayden Building at 681-683 Washington Street in the Combat Zone Chinatown sold for $3.3 million today.

I'm confused as to the ownership trail on this. Historic Boston was the group that renovated it into four two-bedroom apartments upstairs and street-level retail after collecting $5.8 million in donations. But the property was sold in 2012 to Kensington Investments, which paid $2,953,000 for it.

Today's buyer is Richardson Building LLC, whose Brookline owner also runs something called Walkky (maybe?).
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The 2012 sale was of 685-691 Washington Street (Penang Building) next door. HBI had held on to the Hayden Building until this latest sale. HBI still maintains a perpetual preservation easement on the property and has the right to review any proposed renovations, so it's extremely unlikely the building will ever be redeveloped.
 
mass.streetsblog.org

Mayor Wu Announces Scaled-Back Open Streets Schedule for 2025 - Streetsblog Massachusetts

On Wednesday morning, Mayor Michelle Wu announced the city’s 2025 schedule of Open Streets events, with five weekend street festivals in Dorchester, Roxbury, Hyde Park, Mattapan, and Jamaica Plain, plus 11 car-free Sundays for Newbury Street in the Back Bay this summer and fall. “When we see...
mass.streetsblog.org mass.streetsblog.org

The dates and locations for this year's events are:

  • Grove Hall in Roxbury: Saturday, July 12 – Blue Hill Ave. from Warren Street to Quincy Street (0.4 miles)
  • Hyde Park: Sunday, August 10 – Hyde Park Ave. and River Street to Fairmount Street and Davison Street (0.2 miles)
  • Lower Mills and Ashmont in Dorchester: Sunday, September 14 – Dorchester Ave. from Ashmont Street to Adams Street (0.9 miles)
  • Mattapan Square: Saturday, October 18 – Blue Hill Ave. from River Street to Babson Street (0.1 miles)
  • Jamaica Plain: Sunday, November 2 – Centre Street from Lamartine Street/Jackson Square to South Street (1.4 miles)
  • Back Bay: every Sunday between July 13 and August 24, plus Sunday, Sept. 7, Sunday, Sept. 14, Sunday, Sept. 21, and Sunday, December 7 –on Newbury Street from the Berkeley St. to Mass. Ave. (0.8 miles)
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A few places got cut from the open streets this year.
 
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