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statler

statler

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The Boston Globe - March 20
Large events may become uncommon at city's beloved park

By John C. Drake, Globe Staff | March 20, 2008

Boston Common should no longer play host to large-scale events that draw tens of thousands of people to its increasingly stressed lawns and walkways, the head of the city's Parks Department said yesterday.

Such events are better suited for the brick pavement of City Hall Plaza, said Antonia Pollak, Boston parks and recreation commissioner.

Pollak made the statement at a City Council hearing yesterday in which city officials and advocates for the Common wrestled with the question of what activities to encourage at one of America's oldest public parks. While some say that regular activity keeps the 48-acre park vibrant, deterring vagrancy and criminal activity, others point out that heavy foot traffic pummels its turf, diminishing the beauty of the space.

"The basic problem of the Common is it has been at all times all things to all people," said Henry Lee, president of Friends of the Boston Public Garden, which advocates for and helps maintain the Common.

Calling it the city's main stage, its urban oasis, and one of its most historic spaces, Lee estimated that about 1,000 events took place in the park over the past year.

While the city has completed or is beginning several projects to enhance green space on the common, proposals to expand the underground parking garage and perform subway work in the area raise questions among park advocates.

The Parks Department recently reopened the Parade Ground at the corner of Charles and Beacon streets after closing it for a year to allow the grass to recover from years of heavy use.

Now that it has been refreshed, city officials are hesitant to allow it to be trampled again by large-scale gatherings, such as Shakespeare on the Common, concerts, and the so-called Hemp Fest, an annual gathering of supporters of efforts to legalize marijuana.

"It was loved to death," Margaret Dyson, the city's director of historic parks, said of the Parade Ground.

James Barondess, a Beacon Street resident, said that regularly staging large events at the corner also brings trash and noise and damages what residents, colleges, and businesses in the area consider to be their front yard.

Pollak said the organizers of the annual Boston Pride Parade, which ended at Boston Common until the Parade Ground was cut off, have agreed to continue having their route end at City Hall Plaza, as it did last year.

In addition to the Parade Ground work, the city is resodding, blocking off, or paving over well-worn corners at the various paths through the Common. Work is also underway to restore Brewer Fountain and to repair fences.

At the same time, the MBTA is planning work at Park Street Station and on the Silver Line along Tremont Street. The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority is studying the feasibility of expanding the underground garage.

Some fear that the projects could harm the Common, so city officials and park advocates say they plan to press the MBTA and the Convention Center Authority to help pay for park upkeep if the projects go forward.

Councilor Michael P. Ross, who is chairman of a three-member special committee looking into the future of Boston Common, said that caf?s, restaurants, and other commercial ventures might be a good replacement for large-scale events.

Margaret Ann Ing, associate vice president at Emerson College, said the school's seasonal caf? at Boston Common loses about $35,000 a year.

She said the caf? will reopen soon with an expanded menu and what officials hope will be a more inviting design.

Ross said he wants to look into why the college's caf? has not been profitable. "There's got to be a way to make this caf? work," he said. "One thing we can do well [in Boston] is restaurants."

He suggested having a group visit Central Park in New York City to see what makes its restaurants successful, including the iconic Tavern on the Green.

One barrier is that alcohol consumption is not allowed on the Common, said Thomas Kershaw, a Boston restaurateur and chairman of the nonprofit that runs the Frog Pond on Boston Common.

Kershaw said he had considered trying to open a jazz caf? at Frog Pond, but that it would require having an area of the park licensed for alcohol sales.

The option should be left open, Ross said. "We should be considering any and all possibilities."

John C. Drake can be reached at jdrake@globe.com.
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In this city, we love open space so much we've turned it into a museum. :confused:

What the HELL is the point of having a park if it can't be used as a park?
 
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I thought that when the new Ritz buildings were built they promised to install fencing around the Common. Only one small section was installed, near their building. Any one know anything about this?
 
This is annoying. It's not like the Common is some manicured spot, like the Public Gardens. It's supposed to be for people to USE, not to be walled off with "no walking on grass" signs. And it's for everyone, it is not someone's personal front yard. Sorry, but these people knowingly moved into an apartment with a known nuisance across the street. I feel no sympathy for them.

With dirt and grass underneath on the Common, people attending large events like Hemp Fest or the post-Gay Pride parade festival can sit down, spread a blanket, lay out in the sun, toss a frisbee, spend some time and socialize. CHP is not at all comfortable unless you carry along a rickety lawn chair and people without planning like that will probably only stay for a short period of time.
 
PaulC said:
I thought that when the new Ritz buildings were built they promised to install fencing around the Common. Only one small section was installed, near their building. Any one know anything about this?
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Is your question what happened to this project or what is the fence all about? I'm sure the purpose of the fence was to provide some kind of barrier between indigents in the park and the patrons of the Ritz.
 
Well, we like museums and we like open space so...
I can see it now -

Boston, 2012:
Scene - Boston Museum of Open Space (nee: Boston Common)
Teacher: Now children, make sure you stay behind the rope and on the paved areas. Lets hurry along now, we are casting a shadow on the lawn.

Boston, 2013:
Scene: - City Hall
City Official: Due to unfortunate 'shadowing incidents' we are forced to close to Boston Museum of Open Space on sunny days. From now on the Parade Grounds will only be available for viewing on overcast and cloudy days. We apologize for the inconvenience.
 
I was wondering if the Ritz was suppose to add fencing all around the Common as part of their mitigation agreement and if so why they never finished.
 
The only part of the Common that is not fenced off is Tremont St.
I had never heard that the Ritz was going to fence the entire thing.
It would be nice though. Those horrible brick planters are a disgrace.
 
You guys are overreacting.

The suggestion isn't to keep "everyday" people from using the Boston Common. Instead, it is to minimize the number of "special events" which occur on the Common, especially when there are more suitable locations elsewhere in the city.

Every summer weekend (almost?), there is at least one major event on the Boston Common. They require trucks to drive through to stage and tear down any infrastructure, have many people stand on the grass, etc. The suggestion is that some of these events might be better suited to the brick expanse of City Hall Plaza. I wouldn't want to spread my picnic blanket over the bricks to enjoy Shakespeare in the Plaza, but it seems reasonable to me to try to redistribute some of the events which have been held in the Common to other areas around the city.
 
Shakespeare is still scheduled for Boston Common this year. But it's at the Parkman Bandstand instead of the Parade Ground.

I don't yet know if the Boston Landmarks Orchestra is staying on the Esplanade or returning to the Common this year.
 
ckb said:
The suggestion isn't to keep "everyday" people from using the Boston Common.
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This is a wholly inappropriate use of this quote but..

"First they came for the large gatherings, but I did not speak up, for I did not attend large gatherings...
Then the came for the Frisbee players, but I did not speak up, for I did not play Frisbee...
Then the came for the picnic-ers..."

The point is that while, yes, large gathering are destructive to the Common grass they are a major ingredient in what makes the Common a special place. If you start removing stuff like that then the Common just becomes a large semi-useless patch of grass.
And we already have the Greenway fulfilling that function.

I'd rather see functions and no grass than grass and no functions
 
Statler man, the proposal isn't to ban any and all people from the park. It's just limiting the amount of events that go on there, and I'm all for it because I'd rather not see the Common turn into a dustbowl.

The same things happened to the Great Lawn in Central Park (overuse then regulation), and while there's been a few legal scuffles over who has and hasn't been allowed to hold gatherings there, I feel it's been a net plus for the park and its users.
 
I understand that the proposal only removes one particular use from the Common, but I still believe it's an important and vital use.

And yes, this is similar to the Great Lawn issue and I felt the same way about that as well.
 
Ah, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.
 
Ack! I may have to change my stance on this issue.

It seems the folks on the Boston.com discussion forum agree with me! That's never a good sign.
I still think this is a good point:
I think we all know what this is about. Its the suburbanites from Wellesley and other whitebread quiet towns who move to high end condos near the Common and, as one resident said, consider it 'their backyard.' They are aghast that it is noisier in Boston than Hingham or Concord and can't beleive the diversity of people allowed on their 'backyard.' If we had a mayor who understood anything about city life, this would not even be a discussion.
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I don't think that's "what this is about." yes there's plenty of Beacon Hill residents who will quietly champion this proposal, but the article does not give off the impression that it's the well-to-do pushing for it. Rather, we get quotes from people who actually run the park saying it's overstressed.

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I agree that City Hall Plaza is not an equal replacement for the Common, so why not start utilizing some of the Greenway? We all know that at this point it needs whatever vitality it can get.

Any of the Wharf District parcels would be a great place for large groups. However, that might be too much to ask for, considering their function as the centerpiece of the RKG. So how about those scrappy temporary plots further down towards the InterContinental? They would be perfect for people to trample all over.
 
They may not leading the charge, but I still see this part of trend of suburbanizing the city.
The idea that the Common should be a pristine greenspace is antithetical to the idea of a public common. That's why we have things like the Public Garden, for that 'pure, unspoilt' look. The Common should be a place of activity, both small and large scale.

As you say we'll have to agree to disagree...
 
Nobody is saying it should be in pristine condition at all times.

Plus, letting it go the way of a dustbowl will make it all but inhabitable any time the winds get going (something that happens quite a bit).
 
I'd rather leave the events there, and accept the fact that you'll have to close it one year out of every 6 or 7 in order to replant grass.
 
kz1000ps said:
Plus, letting it go the way of a dustbowl will make it all but inhabitable any time the winds get going (something that happens quite a bit).
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That a maintainance issue more than a use issue.
Granted, it may be difficult and expensive to maintain a grassy field on such a heavily used plot, but I doubt it is impossible.
Plus if the proceeds of the underground garage went to the Common rather then the Convention Authority, the Common could be almost as well kept as P.O. Square.
 
I'd love to hear from some horticulturist here. The issue is not just grass being trampled; it is that of the soil being compacted, thus eliminating the space in the soil needed for oxygen and water, which feed the roots of grass and trees (the feeding roots of trees are located just below the top of the soil and spread out from there, not from deep down under.) This compacting problem, due to unusually heavy foot traffic, cannot be mitigated without closing off the areas affected, tearing up and replacing the top soil, replanting grass, watering and waiting for the grass to mature enough to tolerate crowds. I'd rather see regulation now, than to keep up this costly cycle indefinitely.

Selfishness and a lack of concern for limited green space and public property is not limited to NIMBY's or suburbanites. Lots of people blithely scatter their bottles, free newspapers, and cigarette butts, walk through flower beds and frolick in fountains. Multiply them by thousands and it can be a nightmare for taxpayers and for those who try to respect others' rights to a clean, well-kept environment. For example, and I admit it's a pet peeve, I've witnessed plenty of skateboarders who've systematically damaged and discolored numerous curbings, benches, planters, and monuments throughout the city, (I had to tell one college guy to get off the 9-11 memorial in the Public Garden and the front steps of Trinity Church) and who think it's their "right" to use public property as they see fit (and don't tell me every skateboarder in town is going to trek to under the Zakim Bridge when and if the skateboard park is built.)

Much of this mess regarding the Common began (and I'm embarrassed to say) when the city invited Pope John Paul II to celebrate Mass in 1979. The altar was set up on top of the elevator kiosk near Charles St. and the crowds came in droves, despite the heavy rains. The parade grounds became a sea of mud, and remained a mess until it was dug up for the repair of the Common garage. The Commons were set aside for the grazing of sheep and cattle. Unlike the vast expanse of Central Park in NY, no one could foresee the present situation of gathering crowds. Why not rip up City Hall Plaza and put down astroturf (at least it would go along with the architectural flavor there)?
 
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