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tenants, Backers crowd council hearing, But kargman won’t Budge

by RichaRd Kiley

Opening day at Fenway Park is a major event in the baseball world, but also has additional meaning for those in the Fenway who live with the park year round. The Fenway News spoke with Paul hanlon, director of planning and development fror the Red Sox, about the last year of the ten-year improvement plan for the park and the conversation focused on game day fans,

Kaji Aso Studio on St. Stephen St. recently organized a benefit for victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Artists, musicians, performers, and helpers donated their works and efforts to Artists Aid for Japan. In the photo, calligrapher Michiko Imai takes part in the program. Symphony Sushi Restaurant, on Gainsborough Street around the corner from the studio, donated food for the two-day event, which raised more than $10,000. All proceeds will go to the victims thanks to assistance of the Japanese Consulate in Boston. Kaji Aso Studio plans to keep the fund open for further gifts; visit www.kajiasostudio.com for details on the benefit or to donate.

the exterior of the park, and how game day affects the neighborhood.

Fenway Park—which hanlon says has one of baseball’s highest percentages of fans arriving by public transportation—has in-stalled new bike racks for general public use, an MbTa charlie Ticket machine in the park, and “maintained a Red Sox theme signage” in the Kenmore Square T station. hanlon also promised that the popular ambassador guides would continue to be available to residents walking on yawkey Way between Van Ness St. and brookline ave., which is closed during home games.

The most noticeable changes for Fenway residents will be elm trees planted on yawkey Way and landsdowne Street and lights under the Green Monster. additionally, street-facing windows have been installed in the brick wall of the Weei studio, providing some visual relief in what had been a solid, unbroken surface facing pedestrians on the street.

On yawkey Way, the windows of the building were replaced with period-style windows so that “it will look like it always has been there,” according to hanlon. around the corner at VanNess and ipswich is a new team statue of Ted Williams, bobby doerr, dom diMaggio and Johnny Pesky.

Now it is time for our readers to pass judgment on the improvements and how they feel in our neighborhood. This article will be separately posted at Fenway News Online, so you can leave comments there.

Richard Kiley lives in Chinatown.

Nipping and Tucking, Red Sox Continue Making Incremental Upgrades at Ballpark

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Kaji Aso Artists Raise $10K for Japanese Relief

by lORi FRaNKiaN

On March 14 city councilors Michael P. Ross and Rob consalvo convened a public hearing at the Susan bailis assisted living

center on Mass ave at St. botolph Street. Prior to the hearing, a well-organized group of over 40 people marched from the edgerly Road Playground in the east Fens down Mass ave to the bailis center, carrying colorful signs and chanting: “Shame on you bill Kargman”, “help us Keep the Fenway affordable for the long Term” and “don’t let bill Kargman convert subsidized homes in the Fenway to market rate!”

The Kargman and his family own First Realty Management (FRM), which in turn owns the burbank apartments, a collection of buildings in the east Fens with a total of 173 units. The Kargmans’ decision to withdraw from a federal program that helped pay for their purchase of the apartments and kept rents at lowe levels for tenants sparked the march and the city council hearing.

The hearing began with four panels: one with members of the burbank apartments Tenant association (baTa); a second with Fenway residents; a third with experts on fair housing (laws that ensure equal access to housing to all americans, regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap); and a fourth on expiring use and affordable housing. With every seat in the meeting room taken, people of all ages and capabilities lined the back wall, sat on the floor attentively listening to each panelist, and spilled out the doors at the back of the room.

The Kargman family purchased burbank apartments in March 1970 with a mortgage of nearly $3 million. For 40 years, the Kargmans greatly benefited from the subsidized housing program, financed by the federal Department of housing and Urban development (hUd).

by chelSea bROWN

Olga Goldus, 67, is an active participant in short story discussion groups, painting seminars and yoga sessions. For the last three years, Goldus has participated in these activities for free at the Peterborough Senior center (PSc). The center, located in the West Fens, helps enrich the life of seniors through free arts and

cultural activities, intergenerational programs, and educational programs, according to Penina adelman, program director. On average, between 75 and 100 seniors participate in the programs each week.

“The senior center’s activities and folks are incredibly important to this neighborhood and the cdc,” said Joanne McKenna, president of the board of director of the Fenway community development corporation (cdc). Since 1998, the Fenway cdc has been the sole sponsor and primary source of funding for the center, according to McKenna.

however, the Fenway cdc can no longer fund the senior center. “The board decided the cdc needs to focus on what it does best, housing for low-income residents in the neighborhood and real estate,” said Penina adelman, PSc director. although the cdc is unable to continue its funding, it is looking for groups to partner the senior center with. “We love and cherish the seniors who go there, and believe in the programming,” said McKenna. “We are looking to find partners who will provide services to the elderly and increase their quality of life.”

adelman is intent on finding funding. Last week, she held a funding meeting with colleges and universities that collaborate with the senior center. “all were very helpful in terms of leads on where we may find funds, in terms of people and institutions,” said Adelman. “They hope they will be able to participate in keeping the senior center going.” also, adelman has reached out to businesses in the neighborhood.

Kenyora Johnson, a boston University intern, believes the senior center provides more than just internal support for the seniors. “being surrounded by people who automatically embrace you, feels like being welcomed into the family,” said Johnson.

Goldus said the senior center “is an inviting place that penetrates you.” For Goldus, the center is more than a place of recreation. “When I first started to come here my English was improved and I felt the benefits,” said Goldus. “As they say in my country, the ice started melting.” One of Goldus’s favorite programs is the short story discussions, led by Stephen brophy, editor of The Fenway News and an instructor at Massachusetts institute of Technology.

Brophy believes this program is beneficial because it sharpens the mind. “A group of people of varying academic capacity can sit down and talk about something they have read together,” said brophy. “i always come out of it with more insight than i had going in.”

although the fate of the senior center is unknown, brophy believes boston city councilor, Mike Ross will do all he can to save it. “he is vigilant about making sure everything is tried before it falls apart,” said brophy.

However, Adelman is confident the senior center will sustain itself, and has ideas for future programs. “We would like to do more in the wellness area, we already do yoga and exercise, so we would love to add Reiki,” said adelman. also, adelman would love to add programs that connect children with seniors. “We used to have a gardening programming with children at the Victory Gardens, i would love to see that program come back.”

Chelsea Brown, a graduate student at Emerson College, lives in the West Fenway.

On Thursday, May 5, the Peterborough Senior Center will hold a fund-raising and awareness walk. The walk begins at the corner of Jersey and Boylston streets and will be followed by a potluck lunch at the center. For more details and contact information, see the may 5 listing in the Community Meetings box on page 8.

last year Kargman, announced that he planned to opt out of the project-based Section 8 program that had helped FRM purchase the apartments in the first place and had kept rents affordable to working tenants. This decision would convert all 173 units—nearly 10% of all affordable housing in the Fenway—into market-rate rentals. The current agreement ran out at the end of March. When tenants complained that significant rent hikes would force many to move, Kargman’s answer was to offer “enhanced vouchers” (through a hUd program) for any tenant who qualified. This still left many tenants facing a doubling or more of their rents and even the “qualified” tenants facing future disruption if they lost a job. With this jarring news, tenants started organizing.

in a September 2010 interview, Kargman told The Fenway News that, “what we are trying to do is provide a subsidy to everyone that is eligible. We’ve done this in other properties and have had good results. We feel that we are protecting all of our tenants in this process.” Kargman also stated that, “the owners have worked with hUd to provide housing to people with subsidies since 1971, and will continue to do so.”

Kargman argues that the enhanced vouchers will solve the problem for his tenants. however, the National law housing law Project states that “enhanced vouchers may require some tenants to pay a higher proportion of their income in rent.” another important detail is that the subsidies expire when current tenants move out of these units, turning the units over to market rate.

at the hearing, “everyone has a story to tell” as city councilor ayanna Pressley put it. Panelists and community members who spoke during an “open mic” session

Senior Center Begins a Serious Search for New Partners, Funding

Above, Olga Goldus and Elvira Castillo, senior center regulars; Kenyora Johnson, a student intern; and Santosh Sharma, senior aide a the center.

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BurBank apartments on page 3 >

2 | FENWAY NEWS | APRIL 2011

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Congratulations to the Fenway High School girls basketball team for another great season. In February, the won the Boston North title trophy and defeated New Mission in a city league play-off game to advance to the final. At the state tournament in March, the team defeated three teams (Presentation of Mary, Mt. Alvernia, and Whittier) to advance to the final round for the Div. 4 north title only to lose to New Mission. The Fenway Panthers end the season at 19-4.

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Fenway High’s Panthers Stalk State FinalsRed Sox Unveil Final Fenway PaRk imPRovementSOn March 16, the Red Sox held a community meeting in the absolut clubhouse, next to Fenway Park, to update its neighbors about changes in the ballpark. larry cankro, beth Krudys, and Paul hanlon represented the team, with hanlon handling the bulk of the presentation. “This was the tenth straight year of major ballpark renovations …and the last,” he stated, “and we’re proud of the way it looks.” he showed many before-and-after shots of the Green Monster, the Gate b concourse, the new Jumbotrons, and other improved elements. after the meeting, attendees were given a tour of part of the stadium, which was still showing signs of work in progress. The seats in the grandstand were impressively clean and no longer chipping, which is pretty amazing if you’ve attended games in the past several years. —Camille Platt

new PRotectionS (and ReSPect?) FoR chRiStian Science PlazaCity of Boston officials announced on March 25 that the plaza at the Christian Science Center, including its signature reflecting pond, has received historic landmark designation from the Boston Landmarks Commission. The designation does not affect the Mother Church or the Monitor Building, but it will impose tighter guidelines on future development on the plaza. Last year the church administration unveiled a plan to develop its campus more intensely, and the plan called for changes in the depth and configuration of the reflecting pool. Landmark designation may force the church to rethink that part of its plan.

a conveRSation Between GeneRationS at noRtheaSteRnStudents from the Northeastern University Cape Verdean Student Association met on March 13 with the Boston chapter of the NAACP to discuss how to enhance dialogue between generations of the black community and discuss how to handle civil rights in the 21st century. “Racism exists everywhere, in every institution,” said Boston NCAAP President Michael Curry in his opening remarks. “It is essential that we have a discussion of the struggle of racism—between young and older folks—in our colored communities” he said. “Why aren’t there more college students stepping up on the issues?” asked James Wallace, a 19-year-old Northeastern student. A retired Boston school teacher, Bob Marshall, quickly answered, “The older generation—we haven’t educated our kids, we haven’t shared with you Black history. As a result, you aren’t conscious and have difficulty being engaged.” Curry, elected to the post last fall, concluded the meeting with the following admonition: “We need each other more than ever to combat racism and educate our youth about our history, and give them a forum so they can propose new ideas to fight against the oppressors of civil rights.”—Daniel Alfaro

thRee Fenway colleGeS win awaRdS FoR hiStoRic PReSeRvationPreservation Massachusetts will give the Paul Tsongas Award to three area institutions—Emmanuel College, Mass. College of Pharmacy, and The New England Conservatory—for

by daNiel alVaRO

On March 2, a crowd of boston Public School students, including participants from three Fenway high schools, gathered at the hyde

Park education complex to march against the boston School committee budget proposal and the controversial plan to close under-performing schools in the district. The march culminated at a School committee meeting at boston english high School.

at the event, Sasha de la cruz, hyde Park student and organizer from el Movimiento, described the $60 million budget cut that will close down schools, lay off school employees and limit parents’ decisions about where their kids should attend school.

The event was supported by the boston youth Organizing Project, which also organized teachers, parents, and ordinary citizens to support the students in their march by chanting “SOS—Save our Schools.”

“eventually all the schools are going

to get overpopulated and the drop-out rates are going to dramatically increase,” said lissette deleon, a student at Fenway high School. “This means that very well-performing schools like my own, will soon become schools that will struggle to continue to perform well, and then it will be next on the list to be closed down,” she added. Many other students expressed similar sentiments.

“[The proposed budget] is problematic because it’s hard for a teacher to focus on one child’s need when he or she has 30 other children in the same class,” said Karen Mejia, a student at O’bryant high School. She also worried that her brother, a student at Parkway academy, one of the schools that will be merged, will be greatly affected by a new school environment, which might limit his academic opportunities.

The coalition for equal Quality education plans to protests at upcoming School committee budget hearings.Daniel Alvaro is a student at Roxbury Community College.

Fenway students Join march to protest school Budget cuts

“embracing or incorporating preservation into their educational identity.” The awards, given annually, will be conferred at a May 4 ceremony in the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. Nonprofit Preservation Massachusetts works to preserve historic and cultural heritage across Massachusetts.

GaRdneR naBS aRt-woRld eqUivalent oF toP dRaFt choiceThe Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum announced last month that it has named Dr. Oliver Tostmann to become William and Lia Poorvu Curator of the Collection. In that role he will oversee the collection, organize exhibitions, prepare publications generated from new scholarship on the museum’s holdings, and present the history of the museum and its founder. Before joining the staff in April 2012, Tostmann will spend a year as a research fellow, studying the Gardner’s history and holdings.

nec alUmna winS oPeRatic eqUivalent oF ‘ameRican idol’Michelle Johnson, a soprano from Texas who received undergraduate vocal training at the New England Conservatory of Music, ended the 2011 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions as one of five winners. She collects a $15,000 prize and—far more important— the chance to launch a major career with the preeminent American opera company. The winners were selected from eight finalists who performed arias with the Met Orchestra on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House. Writing in The New York Times, critic Anthony Tommasini called Johnson the “clear audience favorite,” saying she “brought gleaming sound to the meltingly lyrical aria Io son l’umile ancella from Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur, then sang a clean-lined and lyrically arching account of Dove sono from Mozart’s Nozze di Figaro.” Despite “some breathy notes in her midrange,” Tommasini wrote, “Ms. Johnson seems to have the vocal goods as well as star power.”

Fenway health’S ken mayeR will Receive StUddS awaRdDr. Kenneth H. Mayer will receive this year’s Congressman Gerry E. Studds Award during Fenway Health’s black-tie fundraising dinner, The Men’s Event, on April 9. Medical research director at the center and co-chair of The Fenway Institute, Mayer led the Fenway team involved in the groundbreaking iPrex study. The research demonstrated that high-risk individuals who took a single daily anti-HIV pill dramatically lowered their risk of HIV infection. The approach, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), has the potential to lower HIV infection rates worldwide, saving millions of lives. The 2011 Men’s Event takes place at the Marriott Copley Place and is expected to draw 1,300 people.

conSeRvancy wantS a Few Good men and womenYou walk in and through the Back Bay Fens all the time, but beyond the fact that Frederick Law Olmsted designed it, what do you really know about the historic park that shapes our neighborhood? The Emerald Necklace Conservancy wants to smarten you up with a program that will prepare you to lead interpretive tours in the park. The program includes independent study, park tours, and four class sessions taught by Conservancy staff and experts on the history, design, landscape, and restoration of the Emerald Necklace, with particular emphasis on the Back Bay Fens’ gardens, historic structures and changes over the years. Classes meet on April 5, 12, 19, and 26 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the new Emerald Necklace Visitor Center on The Fenway. Class size is limited, so if you’re interested, the Conservancy advice you to apply early. Downloaded an application from the Emerald Necklace website, www.emeraldnecklace.org.

tRemont cRedit Union addS an lma BRanch Tremont credit Union will hold a grand opening this month of its new branch at 342 Longwood Avenue (at press time the opening date had not been finalized). The full-service branch offers a convenient location for Tremont members in the Medical area—including employees of children’s hospital, Wheelock and Simmons colleges, the MFa and the Gardner Museum. Tremont says its members receive most of the services offered by large banks, but often at lower costs, since the institution is a non-profit organization owned by its members. Local elected officials have been invited to the opening.

ReGime chanGe at oPeRation P.e.a.c.e.After serving as executive director of Operation P.E.A.C.E in the West Fens for several years, David Zermeno recently left the organization—and was expeditiously replaced by David O’Connor. Look for a profile of O’Connor in next month’s Fenway News.

—Newslines compiled by Stephen Brophy and Steve Wolf

FENWAY NEWS | APRIL 2011 | 3

Fri., April 8 2:05 p.m.Sat., April 9 1:10 p.m.Sun., April 10 8:05 p.m.Mon., April 11 7:10 p.m.Tues., April 12 7:10 p.m.Wed., April 13 7:10 p.m.Fri., April 15 7:10 p.m.Sat., April 16 1:10 p.m.Sun., April 17 1:35 p.m.Mon., April 18 11:05 a.m.Fri., April 29 7:10 p.m.Sat., April 30 7:10 p.m

Officials Remain Mum on Apparent Death of Homeless PersonDespite two inquiries by The Fenway News, as we went to press the Boston

Police insisted they had no information about a possible death at the John

Boyle O’Reilly monument on March 28. Around 9:30 that morning, a van from

the Commonwealth Medical Examiner’s Office joined an EMT ambulance

(pictured) and a Boston Police patrol car parked in front of the memorial at the corner of Boylston Street and

The Fenway. Behind police tape and the ambulance shown in the photo lay

a white plastic bag or sheet draped across what appeared to be a human body. Homeless men sometimes sleep on the memorial’s benches overnight.

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Since the Fenway became part of my district, i have watched boylston Street bloom as a result of the Fenway cdc’s

Urban Village plan, and new restaurants and cafes move into the neighborhood. The Fenway is a vibrant community where residents from different backgrounds with diverse ideas and interests mix seamlessly. it is close to downtown boston and has the historic character and close community that many bostonians seek. but, this special community is in danger.

late last year the owners of the burbank apartments de-cided to leave the U.S. depart-ment of housing and Urban development’s (hUd) project-based Section 8 program. This decision—coupled with the ex-piration of an agreement which the owners had with hUd for a preferred mortgage rate—means that on april 1, 173 apartments will lose their af-fordable designation. The residents who live in these units will be forced out of a neigh-borhood where some have been for decades in search of housing they can afford.

affordable housing is a critical part of boston’s urban fabric and is necessary to build strong and lasting communities. as a result, we all must be alarmed by the impending loss of affordable housing units in this great neighborhood. For years, the burbank apartments provided a place where people from all walks of life could make a home in the Fenway regardless of their income. The owners’ desire to leave the hUd program puts the health and long-term vitality of the Fenway community at risk. Renewal of the project-based Section 8 contract could keep nearly 200 units affordable for families, elders and working professionals.

massart taps risd dean for presidentawn Barrett, dean of Architecture and Design at Rhode Island School of Design, has been selected as president of Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She succeeds Dr. Kay Sloan, who will retire after 15 years as

president. A search committee of the board of trustees recommended Barrett to the full board, which unanimously approved her selection—as did the state Board of Higher Education, last month.

“Barrett comes to MassArt with an unwavering commitment to advancing the disciplines of art and design,” said Richard Shea, chair of the trustees. “As a designer, faculty member, and administrator, Barrett is able to see through multiple lenses and facilitate collaboration among diverse constituencies. Having lived and worked in Europe for many years, Dawn’s international outlook will help MassArt expand its reach locally and globally.”

Sloan, the departing president, launched a $140 million fundraising campaign—the largest in the

school’s history—intended to transform MassArt’s curriculum and campus. “Mas-sachusetts College of Art and Design has been very fortunate over the last fifteen years to have benefitted from the dedication and exemplary leadership of Kay Sloan,” said Richard Shea. “Her unparalleled vision has led us to unprecedented growth. Enrollment is at an all-time high, the endowment has tripled, scholarship dollars are up, and new campus buildings are rising along Huntington Avenue.” The trustees named Sloan president emerita by the board of trustees.

Since the owners of the burbank apartments announced their plans last year, the Fenway cdc has gone to great lengths

to organize burbank tenants, and marshal public support for retaining this affordable housing. Senator chang-díaz and i sent a letter to the owners of the burbank apartments in March expressing our disappointment with their actions and our hope that they would maintain their relationship with hUd. We have yet to receive a response.

Unfortunately, this will not be the last time the Fenway community and its friends will be forced to fight to maintain affordable housing. in the coming years additional affordable housing providers may exit the affordable housing business, leaving their low-income tenants to fight to remain in their homes. in many ways the Fenway is a victim of its own success. There is tremendous demand for quality housing in boston, and the Fenway

offers proximity to downtown, diversity and convenience. The current burbank apartments situation should serve to spur action so we can come together to find long-term solutions.

i hope that the burbank apartments will be retained as affordable housing long into the future. These units are part of the reason that the Fenway neighborhood has become a desirable place to live. i remain committed to working to save the burbank apartments and to keeping the Fenway affordable. as we work to save the burbank apartments, we also must be aware of other possible impending threats to affordable housing in our community and prepare to respond.Steven Tolman is one of two state senators who represent the neighborhood in the state legislature.

Tolman Talksthe fenway

news has invited elected officials

who represent the neighborhood to

contribute columns on issues of

concern. these will appear on a regular basis in fensviews.

Burbank Apartments Are the Tip of the Iceberg

by FRedeRicKa VeiKley

On april 30, Maltby and company and Natural Tree & lawn care will donate the services of a team of 20 tree professionals to improve the safety, aesthetics and health of trees and plants in the back bay Fens. coordinating the work with the boston Parks and Recreation department, Maltby and company will perform

corrective and structural pruning to repair winter-damaged trees. hazardous trees or those in decline will be removed, and replacement trees will be provided by boston Parks department and planted by Maltby’s landscape construction crew. complimenting this work, Natural Tree & lawn care will apply organic fertilizer to existing trees to keep them healthy and beautiful.

The two companies plan to cover the Fens from the Victory Gardens to avenue louis Pasteur. The emerald Necklace conservancy, Fenway civic association, and Fenway Garden Society have undertaken separate tree-improvement projects of their own.

For arbor day, the Massachusetts arborists association (Maa), organizes teams of arborists and “green” companies for a day of service on an Maa-selected property. The goal is to improve the safety, beauty, and health of the plants and trees on the selected site. Previous beneficiaries of the program include Franklin Park, the Crane Estate in Ipswich, and Larz anderson Park in brookline. Fredericka Veikley lives in the West Fens.

arBor day Brings help For Fens trees

did share personal stories, appealing to the councilors at the hearing—Ross, consalvo, Pressley, and Felix arroyo. attendees seemed cautiously hopeful and even more empowered to continue their fight.

Panelist conrad ciszek, one of the orga-nizers of baTa, has a wealth of knowledge after a year spent researching his rights. “bill Kargman, in his repeated statements, keeps arguing that there is nothing to worry about and the enhanced vouchers are a prime solution.” according to material from the National law housing law Project, ciszek said, “tenants who are deemed eligible may risk loss of their voucher if their household or income changes. as enhanced vouchers are more expensive than regular vouchers, they are more of a target for cuts in funding—thus, the outcome is clear, affordable housing in the Fenway will be reduced.”

Sheila dillon, Mayor Menino’s advisor on housing, provided some necessary context: “Of the 908 affordable apartments in boston lost permanently over the past five years, 896 were properties owned by William Kargman”. These include high Point Village in Roslindale, camelot court in brighton and brandywine apartments in east boston. Ms. dillon continued, “it is very, very hard to create new affordable units.”

Michael Stone, professor of community planning and public policy at the University of Massachusetts, cited results from a colleague’s study, “The loss of the project-based Section 8 subsidies at burbank apartments will also have a disparate impact on the ability of people of color, seniors, families, and people with disabilities to afford to live at burbank apartments.” after conversion to market rate, “less than one-fifth (19%) of households of color (with 2-4 persons) would be able to afford a two-bedroom unit at burbank, compared with over half (52%) of white, non-latino households.”

Stone pointed out that “if the rents charged at burbank apartments are permitted to be set by the speculative market, housing opportunities for low-income boston residents will be further reduced. and boston will be-come even more segregated.”

On another panel, Fcdc board President Joanne McKenna said that “The thought of losing this diversity is heart-rending to me.

This is about the long-term affordability of the neighborhood and the city—we don’t want a neighborhood that working people can’t afford.” dharmena downey, Fcdc executive director, said she believes that “the need to produce and preserve affordable housing has never been greater. Twenty-five percent, or 30 million, american households face severe housing challenges. We’re not talking only about the poorest among us or those without jobs, but also teachers, clergy, librarians, firefighters, health-care workers, and many others who make significant contributions to our community.”

On March 25 councilor Ross shared his thoughts on the lack of positive progress to that point: “i am sad to see no compromise on the part of the owners, even after so much compelling testimony at the recent city council hearing....i hope that the owners of the building will still come to the table with residents to work out a deal that will preserve this valuable resource in our city.”

On March 29, associate Justice Jeffrey M. Winik, a judge in the boston housing court, handed down a decision in Burbank Apartments Tenants Association v. Landlord, William Kargman. baTa’s lawyers had asked him to enjoin FRM from beginning to charge market rents while a lawsuit was heard. Sarah horsely, Fcdc’s director of civic engagement, has been working with the baTa tenants. She returned from court with disappointing news: “The judge did not grant the injunction to maintain the project-based Section 8 program while the main lawsuit proceeds.”

Since Kargman refused to work out a settlement, as the lawsuit continues in federal court all burbank apartment units will begin renting at market rates, except for those where tenants are eligible for enhanced vouchers. “For the longer term,” horsely says, “we can join the efforts of Mass alliance of hUd Tenants to get the home rule petition [a proposed law that would give the city stronger tools for intervening in situations like the one at burbank apartments] passed by the Mass state legislature. and in the even longer term and bigger picture, we are joining the thousands of people across the U.S .and the world who are demanding that society prioritize people’s needs over greed.”Lori Frankian lives in the West Fenway.

> BurBank apartments from page 1

4 | FENWAY NEWS | APRIL 2011

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“Comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.”

The founders of The Fenway News adopted this motto to express their mission of exposing and opposing the dangers the neighborhood faced in the early 1970s—including rampant arson,

unscrupulous landlords, and a destructive urban renewal plan. If the original motto no

longer fits today’s Fenway, we continue to honor its spirit of identifying problems

and making our neighborhood a better and safer place to live.

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resident applauds development of symphony garageThis letter was sent to the BRA as a citizen comment on the proposal to turn the garage at 41 Westland Ave. into housing.deaR MR. FiTzGeRald:

as a life-long metropolitan boston resident and a current apartment rental tenant on Westland avenue in east Fenway, I am pleased to finally see new interest in improving this neglected (Westland avenue, burbank & Norway Streets) neighborhood.

Frankly, it often seems that only the ticketing meter maids give us any attention here.

With regard specifically to the development of #41 Westland avenue, i welcome the opportunity to file this citizen comment under article 80 Provisions of the city building code. after reading through the March 11 (expanded) PNF, i am excited by the prospect of this important improvement, and home ownership opportunity on Westland avenue.

Many residents and small businesses i’ve spoken with informally are hopeful that Mr. christopher Kaneb and his colleagues can parlay their local investment interests and influence to help us achieve some additional fairly minor public and private improvements in the area.

Thank you for your attention to these concerns.

SiNceRely yOURS,WilliaM JOhNSON

mike ross wants Burbank apartments Kept affordableCity Councilor Mike Ross e-mailed the following letter to his constituents.deaR FRieNd,

Boston is the fifth costliest city in

america in which to rent an apartment, according to the 2010 Greater Boston Housing Report Card. Our city—especially in the downtown areas—is losing the young people, senior citizens, and working families that keep boston vibrant.

burbank apartments—on haviland Street in the Fenway—have been a resource for low- and middle-income bostonians for the past 40 years, thanks to grants and subsidies from the U.S. department of housing and Urban development (hUd). burbank apartments represent 10 percent of affordable units in the Fenway neighborhood, and it’s critical that we preserve this resource.

as hUd discontinues the mortgage-based subsidies that comprise the majority of funding to keep these 173 units affordable, First Realty Management—the owners of the burbank apartments—have elected to voluntarily opt out of the Section 8 program. They will only offer “enhanced vouchers,” which do not maintain the long-term affordability of these units.

you can read more about this critical issue at www.mikerossboston.com/?l= rossreport&id=115.

SiNceRely,

MiKe ROSS

Thomas M. Menino, Mayor

NO PLASTIC BAGS

BOSTON RESIDENTSLeaf & Yard Waste 4-Week Collection

Boston Public Works will collect and compost residents’ yard waste

Four weeks: April 25 - May 20 ON YOUR RECYCLING DAY.

Place leaves in large paper leaf bags or open barrels marked “yard waste.” For free “yard waste” stickers, call 617-635-4500 (up to 2 stickers available per household).

Cut branches to 3’ maximum length and 1” maximum diameter. Tie branches with string.

Place leaves and yard waste at the curb by 7:00 AM ON YOUR RECYCLING DAY.

Yard waste will not be collectedduring the two weeks beforethe April 25 start date.Please hold ontoyour yard waste from April 11 toApril 25, whencollection begins.

by STePheN bROPhy, ediTOR

The saga of the yMca’s future—will a high-rise dormitory replace its gymnasium?—has developed another twist. last month the boston landmarks commission ordered a 90-day delay in the plans, at the

end of which the yMca and Northeastern University are expected to prove they have considered all other options before getting the landmarks commission’s approval.

but that’s not all. The Massachusetts historical commission also weighed in, arguing that the current plan would have an adverse affect on remaining parts of the yMca, abutters like Jordan hall, and the nearby historic districts of the South end and lower Roxbury. The state commission also must give its approval before destruction/construction can commence, and so must the boston Redevelopment authority.

different parts of the Fenway and Mission hill have different feelings about what should happen. The dorm plan comes in response to long-term neighborhood dissatisfaction over the effects of too many off-campus students on the quality of community life. Northeastern promised both communities five years ago that it would house more undergraduate students on campus. That commitment was partially fulfilled by the opening

of the 1,200-bed international Village on Tremont Street; the planned dormitory would add another 720 beds.

Mission hill breathed a big, if tentative, sigh of relief when the plan was announced last October, because it has suffered most severely the problems, like rising real estate prices and property taxes, associated with concentrated off-campus student housing. The Fenway was more wary, considering the noise, litter, and public drunkenness that 720 more students close to Gainsborough Street would add.

but as good as this plan seems for its neighbors, it may not be good, at least not immediately, for yMca members. They are understandably upset at the loss of their gym—for many the central value of their membership. concern about that loss motivated a very successful petition drive that helped lead to the landmark commission’s order for the 90-day delay.

Now the involved parties should be working to find solutions satisfactory to all. yMca members should recognize that the communities and institutions have been working on this for a long time. and those who want to keep moving in the same direction should be sympathetic to another group of people trying to protect their own “community.”

Use Delay on YMCA Plan to Find Solution That Works for Everyone

FENWAY NEWS | APRIL 2011 | 5

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by ShiRley KReSSel

This essay first appeared in the March 16, 2011, issue of The South End News.

The race for chuck Turner’s district 7 city council seat has been fraught with bitter ironies and troubling questions about the future of

boston’s black community.as the media have amply reported,

Senator dianne Wilkerson and city councilor chuck Turner, long-time black leaders, have recently been sent to prison for accepting money from a paid Fbi informant in a liquor-license imbroglio. What does this signify for their fragile community?

The candidates, both black men, represent different visions for the district. cornell Mills is the son of Wilkerson, who broke the color barrier at the state senate in 1993 and pursued an activist legislative career, while Tito Jackson, son of a labor-rights activist, is endorsed by Turner, an old-school firebrand. Interestingly, Mills echoes Turner’s spirit of fighting to protect the poor and disadvantaged, while Jackson pushes further Wilkerson’s talk about business incentives to attract job creation and developers’ gifts to the community.

Jackson has enjoyed far more funding and voter support. however, his experience is in mainstream politics and his campaign chest is filled heavily by white contributors and business interests outside the district. This has sparked concerns about the dilution of the black community’s power to defend against economic and political exploitation.

indeed, some suspect a larger strategy to neutralize minority defenses against discriminatory governmental policies.

On March 6, i attended a forum in Roxbury titled, “The attack on black leadership: is there an ongoing effort by the US Government to destabilize the black

As Chuck Turner’s Successor Takes Office, Time to Ask: What Happened Here?

by liz bURG

The Movement@berklee, berklee college of Music’s student-led community service group, devoted the third week of March to providing music education in neighborhoods where economic challenges often prohibit accessibility to such programs. The lead the change Festival began March 22, when berklee students, faculty, staff, and alumni volunteers—and special guests

like aerosmith’s Tom hamilton—shared music with the group’s partner organizations in the Fenway, Jamaica Plain, brighton, and dorchester in addition to an on-campus event geared toward young girls from boston. The Fenway partner was Morville house, where the berklee Oldies ensemble performed for residents on March 22. a handful

of outreach activities were designed by berklee students who won $500 grants to produce their event.

led by student Shea Rose, a Mattapan resident and braintree high School graduate, and coordinators carla Martinez

and arti Gollapudi, The Movement@berklee encourages and enables the berklee community to collaborate with partner organizations to conduct a broad range of activities, including youth mentorship, performance outreach, and musical instruction. aiming to create the greatest access possible to music and to music education for a wide range of people and cultural groups, The Movement@berklee connects berklee volunteers to community outreach programs that are already making a difference, like the Music clubhouse programs at the hyde Square Task Force; Sociedad latina; and boys and Girls clubs in allston, Roxbury and dorchester.

“We want to infuse the idea of volunteering and giving back into the berklee community,” said Rose. “Through lead the change Festival, we want berklee to know that The Movement@berklee is a vehicle that, through our resources and relationships with partner organizations, can help take an idea and turn it into a program that can have long-lasting positive effects on a community.”

“During my first year at Berklee, I focused only on myself and on getting good grades,” said Gollapudi. “i later realized that i can use my time to do more than the ‘business’ side of music. i work with a senior citizens’ home, and the residents are so appreciative of a performance. Performing for them not only gives seniors a form of entertainment, but it’s a great place to perform. It’s a mutually beneficial situation.” Liz Burg is a publicist at the Berklee College of Music.

community by targeting its leadership?” in impromptu remarks, Wilkerson talked about documents she had read indicating that the Fbi had been targeting her and Turner for seven years, looking for reasons to prosecute them. Finding none, she said, the bureau finally hired a black informant to bait them with money.

if her account is accurate, it is extremely alarming. it is at least suspicious that in the Fbi’s lengthy investigation of the license issue, only two black officials were (literally) “caught,” leaving unbaited and uncharged seven white officials implicated by FBI documents. Turner accused the US attorney of racial bias and, because there was no evidence of previous wrongdoing by him to constitute probable cause, entrapment. The Fbi informant, a black man, expressed anger at this apparently biased outcome and tried to refuse to testify at Turner’s trial.

This week, i came across a 2003 South End News bit on now-deceased city councilor Jimmy Kelly, reporting his acceptance of unlawful financial contributions: “Infractions included accepting individual contributions over the $500 limit and accepting corporate contributions, which is not allowed at the city level.” The full report (pdf) at the Office of campaign and Political Finance (OcPF) website listed numerous violations. Kelly paid a $1,000 fine and made a charity donation of $7,500, equaling the contributions he got from business corporations, excess contributions, excess cash contributions, and money from a federal Pac. The matter was never sent to the attorney general for further action.

Kelly was proven to have committed financial violations worth about $11,000. He simply settled up financially, with no criminal prosecution.

Turner was never proven committing any offenses—before the Fbi created

one. The informant himself later told the boston Globe that the money (an amount the Fbi said, but never proved, was $1,000) that he handed unbidden to Turner while expressing his “gratitude” (with this word, turning Turner’s scheduling of a hearing on licensing discrimination into a crime, as the Fbi instructed), “could have been a gift or a campaign donation.” as a contribution reporting error with no criminal intent, a civil fine would have ended the story. Instead: felony conviction and three years in federal prison.

Unlike Kelly’s violations, Turner’s case was all over the media, inflaming a wave of public venom. The city council enacted an ordinance to expel him. The two young new minority councilors, Felix arroyo, Jr., and ayanna Pressley, cited him as their mentor as they voted him out.

Why such disparate fates?Perhaps the answer lies in a Boston

Globe editorial: “Turner... isn’t a venal man.

... but he has spread unreality among his supporters for decades. and that may be his greatest crime. in a boston neighborhood that so desperately needs sensible leadership to address crime, joblessness, and poor education, Turner has fed his constituents a steady diet of political fantasy.” do our media leaders believe that Turner’s punishment for an unproven bribe was justified by his discomfiting politics? The newspapers endorsed Jackson; is he their “sensible leader”—bringing practical compromises to counter Turner’s audacity of unbending aspirations?

Selective justice is a great injustice, and one well known to the black community. What really happened here? and what will be the impact on a district ripe for—or vulnerable to—radical change?

Shirley Kressel is a landscape architect. urban designer, and a founder of the Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods. She can be reached at Shirley.Kressel@verizon.net.

in service Festival, Berklee students engage neighborhoods through music

street cleaning is Backthe city cleans Fenway residential streets between 12 and 4 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month (odd-numbered side) and the second and fourth wednesdays (even-numbered sides). get more info at 617-635-4900 or www.cityofboston.gov/publicworks/sweeping. the state cleans streets that border the Fens on this schedule:• second thursday

the riverway, 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.• Second Friday the Fenway (includes inside lane),

charlesgate extension, and Forsyth way, 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

• Second Friday 8 to 54 the Fenway (includes inside

lane), charlesgate extension, 12:00–3:00 p.m.

• Third TueSday> park drive (includes inside lane),

upper Boylston street, 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

> park drive, from holy trinity orthodox cathedral to Kilmarnock street and from the riverside line overpass to Beacon street, 12:00–3:00 p.m.

www.mass.gov/dcr/sweep.htm has a complete schedule and maps.

Berklee student Ernesto Diaz at the Hyde Square Task Force

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6 | FENWAY NEWS | APRIL 2011

by eRiN haRPeR

The Roxbury community college (Rcc) women’s basketball team advanced to the National Junior college athletic association’s (NJcaa) division iii national tournament with a 64-53 victory over Manchester community college on February 27. The lady Tigers traveled to Rochester, Minnesota, to take part

in the eight-team national tournament March 10-12. They reached the finals there only to lose to the Golden Rams of anoka-Ramsey community college, which claimed its seventh national title.

in the February tournament, sophomore Tommia davis paced Roxbury with 15 points, while captains Sequetta “butta” Samuels and Jesika holmes added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Roxbury took a 36-26 lead into the locker room at halftime, with head coach Mark leszczyk electing to play a much taller line-up than the traditional small and quick line-ups for which Rcc is known.

Freshman forward Tyler Kimball grabbed 14 rebounds for Roxbury while playing tight defense on Manchester’s point guard Shenielle duncan-clarke—who did not score a field goal in the first half and finished the game with 13 points. Sophomore Erika Sagay led Manchester with 15 points.

“Winning this tournament was the ultimate definition of team effort,” said Coach leszczyk. “These players worked so hard over the entire season to prepare for a game such as this and they truly rose to the occasion. We look forward to representing Region XXi at the National Tournament.”

Roxbury, 27-2, finished the regular season ranked third in the NJCAA national poll. This is the fourth tournament title for the Tigers this season; the team was also victorious at the Rcc invitational Tournament, the Passaic county Tournament, and the Massachusetts community college athletic conference tournament.

Erin Harper, a Northeastern alumna who has written for Fenway News for the past four years, lives in the suburbs of Boston

Therapists!Are you self-employed? Turn your neighbors into

clients with a business card ad in The Fenway News.

Thousands of readers will see it each month—and you could

find yourself some new clients.

Email advertise@fenwaynews.org for more info.

by baRbaRa bROOKS SiMONS

in “the best of all possible worlds,” Stephen lord returned to boston to conduct his first opera performance at New england conservatory. The semi-

staged production of leonard bernstein’s

sparkling Candide, on February 28, featured a cast of both students and broadway professionals.

lord was named Nec’s artistic director of Opera Studies in May of 2010. at the time, he was music director of Opera Theatre of St. louis as well as a frequent guest conductor for other companies in the United States, canada, and Great britain. Previously, he was music director of boston lyric Opera for sixteen seasons. before being appointed to the Nec faculty, lord had also conducted master classes there.

lord was born in concord. before

making the transition to conductor, he had a successful career as an accompanist and coach of opera. he made his conducting debut at New york city Opera in 2004 with Puccini’s La Rondine. in the 2009–2010 season, he made his first appearances with three major opera companies, conducting Rigoletto at english National Opera and San Francisco Opera, and Tosca at lyric Opera of chicago. Opera News magazine included him as one of the “25 Most Powerful Names in U.S. Opera.”

at the time of his appointment, lord commented, “ever since i was a young person, i remember going to Nec and Jordan hall and hearing great performances, including John Moriarty playing for the Metropolitan Opera auditions. i was always interested in what was going on at Nec and it was always an aspiration to play in Jordan Hall, so I’m honored and flattered to be considered to enter into this pantheon.”

lord promised intensive training for professional careers, with individual attention and “more one-on-one work in the vocal studio.” besides overseeing the opera training program, he will conduct one mainstage production a year. lord also plans to do operas in concert, giving both singers and orchestra musicians more chances to perform. “We’re going to try to do what doesn’t happen at other music schools.”

lord’s appointment was part of an Nec effort to enhance the opera and vocal studies program. Mezzo-soprano luretta bybee, who has been a member of the voice faculty since 2004, was named executive director and chair of Opera at the same time.

Barbara Brooks Simons lives in the East Fens.

return oF a native: stephen lord raises Baton as director oF opera studies at nec

huntington heralds upcoming seasonThe Huntington Theatre Company’s 2011-2012 season will offer an intriguing

mix of old and new. The season opens with Candide, the beloved musical comedy with music by Leonard Bernstein, principal lyrics by Richard Wilbur, and additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John LaTouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker, and Leonard Bernstein (and that, ladies and gentlemen, is what they call an “impres-sive artistic pedigree”). Mary Zimmerman, who has both a Tony Award and a Mac-Arthur “Genius” Grant to her credit, will direct her own adaptation of the show. The season will also include Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom by August Wilson; God of Carnage, a Tony- and Olivier Award-winning play by Yasmina Reza; and Molière’s Tartuffe, all at the BU Theatre on Huntington Ave. The Huntington will offer two world permieres at the Calderwood Pavilion in the South End: Before I Leave You by Huntington Playwriting Fellow Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro and The Luck of the Irish by Huntington Playwriting Fellow Kirsten Greenidge. For more information, visit http://www.huntingtontheatre.org/season/subscribe/1112/index.aspx

by STePheN bROPhy

On april 1 (the publication date of this issue of The Fenway News) the handel & haydn Society will step out of its usual

venues—Symphony hall, Jordan hall, and Sanders Theatre in cambridge—to present a concert of choral music in a local church. The program will include choral music by Renaissance composer Tomás luis de Victoria and his 20th-century follower Francis Poulenc, and be delivered in St. cecilia’s church on belvidere St in the east Fens.

The Fenway News spoke with h&h Music director harry christophers by phone recently about this program and about the coming season. he was at home in london at the time. “When I first came to Handel & haydn, i felt that i wanted to take the chorus back to its roots,” he said. “and no better way to do that than to have it sing Renaissance music.” christophers began his career as a choirboy in england, and found that “music is a great journey.”

in looking for churches to which he might take the chorus, he started with Trinity church. “it looked right, but i didn’t like where the chorus would have to stand,” he argued. “St. cecilia’s has just undergone a renovation, and it has a space that is very open. This gives a nice warmth to the sound.”

The all-choral a capella program is

called “harry’s Vocal Voyage.” christophers put it together as “a great excuse to explore old music in relation to the music of our time. And I’m always fascinated by influences.” Victoria (1548-1611) “was born in Spain but went to italy as a young man and stayed for 20 years. He was influenced by other Renaissance composers, like Palestrina, but he was absolutely, more than any other composer, devoted to God and the church. all of his music is sacred, not secular.”

Switching to Poulenc (1899-1963), christophers noted that “while he was born catholic, he lived a very gay, hedonistic lifestyle as a young man—socializing with all the arty people—until a tragedy happened. a friend was killed in a car accident, and he ended up going on a pilgrimage in 1936, and soon after started writing sacred music.”

comparing the two composers, chris-tophers muses that “Victoria has a very per-sonal expression. Unlike with Palestrina—you have to do what he says—I find that I can in-terpret Victoria’s music in all sorts of different ways. With Poulenc it’s also a very personal statement, but much more electric. in three minutes he can have eight different ideas.”

Switching subjects to the upcoming bicentenniel (the handel & haydn Society was founded in 1815, and is the oldest

continually operating musical organization in the United States), christophers enthuses “it staggers me just how legendary this society is. We will continue to try to bring old and

new together—to make old music sound new. We’ve got a nice mix of experience and youth in the orchestra and chorus and we will use

it in ways that allows the audience to hear things that they never expected.”

handel & haydn recently announced its 2011-2012 season, and highlights include Vivaldi’s Four Seasons; J. S. bach’s St. Matthew Passion; Mozart’s Coronation Mass; Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater; and, of course, the annual presentation of handel’s Messiah. beethoven will be represented again with a performance of his “eroica” Symphony, and another Mozart program will include

his Piano concerto #22 and Symphony #40. With all this goodness, perhaps you should subscribe. For more information, visit www.handelandhaydn.org

H&H Goes to Town With Its New Program of Religious Music...and to Church

after exciting regional win, rcc lady tigers miss national junior college title in minnesota

Handel & Haydn’s Christophers likes the warmth of the sound his chorus produces in the newly renovated St. Cecilia’s sanctuary.

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FENWAY NEWS | APRIL 2011 | 7

i was going to tell you my name is clyde Whalen, in case you don’t know who clydesides is. i’m 91 years old and still kickin’, but not as high as i used to. at

my age you forget the romance thing, so i stuck with my favorite pastime—writing.

i started out by being born in Nova Scotia, which in latin means New Scotland. bet you didn’t know that, huh? at an early age, i came to boston to be brought up by an aunt and uncle, who ran an apartment building on St. Mary’s Street, at the boston-brookline line. Went to school for six years at William McKinley, during the era when Charles Lindbergh flew the atlantic to europe, becoming the first person to cross the Atlantic by plane. i also did two years at the Prince School, near copley Square, and graduated.

i was then accepted into boston latin School without an entrance exam, but quit after two years, during which time the Great depression was in high gear and in order to make things easier, i started singing at contests at local theatres, where the winner got applause from the patrons. it was my start in show business, which was making the rounds at local nightclubs and bars where i added humorous talks to make people laugh. This graduated into nightclubs around New england, where i worked as master of ceremonies, to handle shows, and finally wound up on cruise ships like the Statendam on holland america lines, circling the world.

Station Wbz in boston had me on a show to get ready for a sponsor. When the draft came along, i wound up in the in the air Force; volunteered for overseas duty, but was turned down for reasons they kept to themselves; and spent the rest of my time at Westover Field in holyoke-chicopee, mostly entertaining and singing with the bands. after an honorable discharge, i continued in show business, going from club to club around New england. Never made the big time, but enjoyed myself and managed to get by. at 91, i still enjoy making people laugh and hope i still can.

Root-de-toot, root-de-toot we are the boys of the institute. We don’t smoke, we don’t chew, we don’t go with girls that do.

Joy Rideby liSa Fay

They traded their rings for another one. Walking on the sidewalk, i could see her punching him with both hands, jabbing him all over the shoulder—only he was driving with the other hand and doing everything to stay in control and still veering away from the yellow line and into the whites of my eyes, which seemed as large as my open mouth, my life ready for casket. The grass, healthy after a rain, stopped the car.

Lisa Fay lives in the West Fens. Writing workshops often use “flash fiction” as an exercise to develop narrative skills, directing the writer to describe a full narrative arc using a strictly limited number of words.

West Fens resident Clyde Whalen gives

“The Fenway Report” every other week on cable channel 9’s Neighborhood

Network News.

you can tell by my appearance, i was once fashion editor of the Hobo News.

For those of you who are having trouble getting rid of your garbage, gift wrap it and somebody will steal it.

isn’t it wonderful that the human body, nature ‘s greatest scientific achievement, can be produced by unskilled labor? Get all the unskilled labor while you’re young, i’m too old.

if you want to taste something delicious, try the frozen yogurt at the hidyan café on Kilmarnock Street, at the corner of Queensberry Street. i am so addicted, i get

one every day.during my lifetime, i

have written songs. One very popular one went—if i had it all to do over, i’d do it all over you. awful, huh? i was the happiest youngster that anyone ever did see, till i found daddy sleeping with Mother—oh, how could they do that to me? here’s another: i’ll be seizing you in all the old familiar places.

here’s one: Oh don’t the wind blow when you’re lonely; how it moans and groans from above; if your heart needs a meat tenderizer, then you don t know the meaning of love. another: i said, Mother, how did i get here; that stuff ’bout the stork is all wet. She said dad and i put you

together one night with an erector Set. ’Twas a Mattel, it was swell. (did you get a bang out of that one?)

The best way to keep from stepping on other people’s toes is to put yourself in their shoes.

Some of the best arguments are spoiled by people who know what they’re talking about.

a person with one watch knows the time. a person with two watches is never sure.

One of the happiest times in my education was in barrooms, where people drink and get together discussing the problems of the world. it was a place you could come in and learn how other people felt about whatever was happening in the world that day, solve it by talking about it and then staggering home.

Well, that’s it for now, folks. hope i made you laugh. See you next month.

poetr

yWinter Sun WaningA pale, washed out winter suncoasts on his sled of time;down the snow covered slopeof this late and lavender afternoon.He slurs into winter’s still early dusk;slips into the silence of the longnight dark.Eager, I strike a wooden match;hold it to the tightly crunched paperand kindling; watch the slow spreadof blue and deep orange flame;feel on my face a growing, welcomed warmthof fire on my hearth this late February night.It catches; lights up; scatters the dusk,even as dark deepens beyond the windows;beyond the sturdy, thick granite skinof this well loved centurion building.

aNNe M. TObiN (eaST FeNS)MaRch 1, 2011

College of Communication. A wide range of experts in global health, non-governmental organizations, and journalism, as well as citizens and volunteers, will focus on the many layers of crisis in post-earthquake Haiti, to establish strategies for journalists and aid workers to function collaboratively. 8:30am-5pm. For more information, please

call Kasey Oliver at 617-638-5887 or kloliver@bu.edu FREE and open to the public.

fri, apr 15-may 1: Boston Playwrights Theatre presents last final play written by Jon Lipsky, who died in March. Walking the Volcano features actors Gabriel Kuttner and Paula Langton. From a meeting in an airplane bathroom above the Pacific to a tryst in a seedy Saigon hotel room during the Tet Offensive, Lipsky’s characters are complex, compelling, and in a search of the truth. Directed by Elaine Vaan Hogue; information at bostonplaywrights.org; 949 Commonwealth Ave. Tickets $10 (students), $25 (seniors), $30.fri, apr 15-sun, may 15: Hard to imagine anyone having the nerve to try a staged version of Aladdin after the Disney movie, but Wheelock Family Theatre takes a crack with Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp. See if theatrical magic can trump old-school animation. Fri 7:30 p.m., Sat & Sun 3:00 p.m. School vacation matinees Tue, Apr 19-Fri, Apr 22 at 1:00 p.m. No performance Fri Apr 22. Tickets $20-25-30. Info at 617-879-2000 or www2.wheelock.edu/wheelock/x1934.xml.tue, apr 19: At this year’s Berklee Middle Eastern Festival artist-in-residence Simon Shaheen—a Palestinian-American oud/violin virtuoso—plays solo and joins the students of the Berklee Middle Eastern All-Stars. 8:15 p.m., Berklee Performance Center. Tickets $10 through www.ticketmaster.com or at the box office. More

through thrilling musical story telling, brilliant arias, and grand and vibrant choruses. The featured soloists in this epic work include students and faculty from the BU School of Music, who will be conducted by Ann Howard Jones, Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities. Visit www.bu.edu/cfa for more information. 8pm. Tickets $25, ($10 student rush, available at door on day of performance).tue, apr 12: Boston Conservatory presents Jung-Ja Kim as part of its popular Piano Masters series of internationally renowned pianists in solo engagements, delivered under the artistic direction of Michael Lewin. The performance takes place at 8 p.m. at Seully Hall, 8 The Fenway. Tickets are available by phone at 617-912-9222 or at http://bostonconservatory.ticketforce.com/. $15, $10 for seniors and FREE for students with valid ID.tue, apr 12: The train wreck known as Charlie Sheen pulls into Agganis Arena, 925 Comm Ave, for his improbable live show. 8:00 p.m. Tickets $89.50-69.50-49.50 (plus hefty service fees if purchased through Ticketmaster; also available at the box office). Information at 617-353-4638 or www.agganisarena.com/events/calendar/arena-search.asp.thu, apr 14: An international conference, When Disaster Strikes: Reporting and Responding, will explore the collaboration and tension between journalists and public health workers at times of crisis. The event, featuring a keynote speech by NBC’s Kerry Sanders, will mark the first annual collaboration of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and Boston University’s Center for Global Health and Development, School of Public Health and

information at www.berklee.edu/events/detail/8260/middle-eastern-festival.wed, apr 20: Friends of the Libraries at BU hosts an evening with Walter Mosley, author of more than 30 critically acclaimed books, including the bestselling mystery series featuring Easy Rawlins. RSVP to 617-353-3697; for more information, please call 617-353-3696 or visit http://www.bu.edu/archives. $25 (free to students).sat, apr 23: Edward W. Gordon, president of the New England chapter of the Victorian Society in America, conducts an architectural tour of Copley Square and the Back Bay, part of a Boston by Foot lecture series. Meet at Boston Architectural College, 320 Newbury St., at 10 a,m. Visit www.bostonbyfoot.org for more information. $35.thu, apr 29: Australian Kylie Minogue, as big a worldwide star as Madonna—except in the U.S.—brings her shimmery dance-

floor pop confections to Agganis Arena. Hefty ticket prices won’t likely entice the marginally curious, but Minogue fans don’t let a few bucks stand between them and the “Princess of Pop.” 8:00 p.m. Tickets $125-85-55 (plus service fees at www.tickemaster.com ; also at the Agganis box office). Info at 617-353-4638 or www.agganisarena.com/events/calendar/arena-search.asp.fri apr 30-sat may 21: The Factory Theatre in the Piano Factory hosts its third show this month, The Monster Tales, a fable about a young woman who discovers her humanity when she meets a monster from under her bed and the two fall into a tale-telling competition. This production is the work of Jamaica Plain’s Mill 6 Collaborative. Tickets $20-10 (students). Various dates and times; check www.brownpapertickets.com/event/166921 or call 617-240-6317 for details.

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8 | FENWAY NEWS | APRIL 2011

boston cab 617-536-5010For a trip to the aiport or a night on the town, don’t call any cab, call Boston Cab—your neighbor for 50 years and a proud supporter of The Fenway News.

Boston Cab

This symbol indicates a free event. For even more listings, visit www.fenwaynews.org

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sat, apr 2: Huge Book Sale sponsored by City-Wide Friends of the Boston Public Library to benefit the library. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Boston Public Library, Lower Level, McKim Bldg, Dartmouth St. entrance. For info, call: 617-859-2341. mon, apr 4: Berklee Task Force meeting. 6-8 p.m., Boston Public Library, enter from Dartmouth St., turn left to Orientation Room. For info email Gerald Autler at gerald.autler.bra@cityofboston.gov. tue, apr 5: Classes begin for training to lead groups on tours of the Back Bay Fens. Spon-sored by Emerald Necklace Conservancy, 4-6 p.m. Classes held at Emerald Necklace Visitor’s Center, 125 The Fenway (diagonally behind the MFA). For more info, call 617-522-2700. New volunteers welcome.wed, apr 6: Liaison for Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, William Onuoha, holds office hours, 3:30-5:30 p.m., YMCA, 316 Huntington Ave. No appointment needed. thu, apr 7: Northeastern Task Force meeting. 6-8 p.m., Parish Center, Mission Church, 1545 Tremont St., Mission Hill. For info, email Gerald at gerald.autler.bra@cityofboston.gov.

The following events take place at the Peterborough Senior Center, located two blocks from Boylston between 100 and 108 Jersey St. (walk down the alley and look left). For more information, call 617-536-7154.

recurring

mondays• 9:30 a.m: Breakfast Club with Matti• 11 a.m: Films—Apr 4, Cat on a Hot Tin

Roof (1958); Apr 11, The Joy Luck Club (1993); Apr 18—Center closed; Apr 25, Harold and Maude (1971)

• 1:15 p.m.: Yoga with Simmons studentstuesdays• 11 a.m: Exercise with Mahmoud • 12 noon: Documentary films—Apr 5,

National Geographic: Inside North Korea (2006); Martial Arts Master: The Life of Bruce Lee (1994); National Geographic: China’s Lost Girls (2004); Apr 26, Unmistaken Child (2008)

wednesdays• 10 a.m.-noon: Blood pressure check with

Joyce• 1 p.m: Yoga with Carmen thursdays• 10 a.m. ESL, with Rudy Corvo• 11 a.m. Berklee sing-along• 12 noon. Bingo

special eventswed, apr 6: 11am—Short story discussion—

haruki Murakamithu, apr 7: noon—dental screening• noon—Current events: Earthquake in

Japan—the aftermathwed, apr 13: • 9:20-10:50am - Poster session at Berklee• noon-Mass College of Pharmacy and

Sciences presentationthu, apr 14: 11am—berklee singalong;

rehearsal at berkleesat, apr 16: 3pm—award presentation for

PSc and berklee Singalong groupmon, apr 18: ceNTeR iS clOSedwed, apr 20: 1• 11am—Short story discussion—Edith

Pearlman• noon—Easter celebration• noon—Art Classthu, apr 21: 12:30pm—art exhibit at Kaji

aso Studiotue, apr 26: 10:30am-12:30pm—haiku, brush

painting, and teawed, apr 27: noon—Monthly birthday

celebrationthu, apr 28: noon—Poetic lunch: bring your

favorite poem!

sat, apr 9: Potluck hosted by the Fenway CDC. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Morville House, 100 Norway St. For more info, contact Callie Watkins at 617-267-4637x16 or email cwatkins@fenwaycdc.org. tue, apr 12: Ward 4 Democratic Committee meeting South End Branch Library, 685 Tremont St. Community invited. thu, apr 14: BRA/EDIC board meeting on Northeastern Univ/YMCA project. 5:30-7:30 p.m. City Hall, 9th fl, Room 900 (after 5 p.m., enter from Congress St.) sat, apr 16: Muddy River clean-up in the Back Bay Fens. Sponsored by Emerald Necklace Conservancy. 9-12 p.m. Volunteers wanted, gloves and tools provided. For information, visit www.emeraldnecklace.org or call 617-522-2700. sat, apr 16: Kevin Lee Hepner addresses Prime Timers on the United South End Settlements (USES) and the settlement movement. Hepner is president and CEO of USES. Prime Timers, a support network of gay and bisexual men, meets monthly at 566 Columbus Ave. For info phone 617-447-2344 or visit www.bostonprimetimers.org or email bostonprimetimers@uses.org. $2

donation at the door. tue, apr 19: East Fens Community/Police mtg., 6 p.m. Morville House,100 Norway St. tue, apr 19: Audubon Circle Neighborhood Assoc board mtg., 6:30-8:30 p.m. Harvard Vanguard, 131 Brookline Ave., Annex Bldg., Rm 3D. For info, call 617-262-0657. tue, apr 19: Ward 5 Democratic Committee meeting 7 p.m., First Church, 66 Marlboro St., corner of Berkeley and Marlboro St., wed, apr 20: Fenway Liaison for Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, William Onuoha, holds Office Hours: 3:30-5:30 p.m. YMCA, 316 Huntington Ave. No appointment needed. wed, apr 20: West Fens Community/Police mtg., 5 p.m. Landmark Center (corner Park Drive & Brookline Ave.), 2nd fl, District 4 Police Substation (next to security desk). thu, apr 21: Congressman Capuano’s rep holds office hours, 1-2 p.m. Fenway Health Center, 1340 Boylston St. Residents’ questions/concerns about federal agencies, national issues or legislation welcome. mon, apr 25: Longwood Forum, 6:30-8 p.m. Site TBD. For location or to verify

if meeting will be held, email Laura at lfogerty@masco.harvard.edu. tue, apr 26: Symphony Neighborhood Task Force mtg., 6:30 p.m. Site TBD. For info or for meeting site, call City Councilor Mike Ross’s office at 617-635-4225. tue, apr 26: Fenway CDC Urban Village Committee, 6 p.m. Get involved in monitoring development in the Fenway and advocating the kind of neighborhood you want. 73 Hemenway St., side door. For info: email Callie at cwatkins@fenwaycdc.org or call her at 617-267-4637x16. thu, apr 28: 5th Annual Muddy River Sym-posium: “Sustainability, Public Health, and the Politics of Urban Parks” Panel includes former Gov. Michael Dukakis. 4:30-7:30pm. Light dinner and refreshments. Wheelock College, 43 Hawes St. Registration is open. To RSVP, contact Michael Berger at 617-521-2722 or at bergerm@simmons.edu. sat, apr 30-may 1: Open House weekend at Emerald Necklace Conservancy Visitor & Volunteer Center. 125 The Fenway. For info, email Conservancy at: www.emeraldnecklace.org or call the Center at 617-522-2700.

while construction continues on a futuristic addition out back, the gardner Museum dug into its past to find a theme for the spring display in its interior courtyard. working from hand-tinted photos documenting the gardner’s floral displays in the 1930s, the museum has created “April in the courtyard” with a profusion of bulbs and flowering trees, ranging from daffodils and hyacinth to tropical orange-

and yellow-flowering clivia miniata (pictured). Thanks to “unfortunate growing conditions,” as the museum delicately puts it, nasturtiums are a no-show this year, and the museum has turned to miniature Asian orange trees known as calamondin. The display opens on tuesday, April 5—and this being Boston, it may be the only place you can be sure to experience spring in April. The gardner is open 12 to 5, tue-sun. entrance is $12, $10 for seniors or students, free to members. www.gardnermuseum.org

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How Does Your Gardner Grow?

through fri, jun 3: Abolitionists, soldiers, even a Brahmin’s pet dog figure in the images from the Mass Historical Society vault organized into History Drawn with Light. In addition to dozens of early photographs, you’ll find a recreation of a Boston photo studio and an 11-foot-wide panorama of the waterfront from the 1870s. 1154 Boylston Street. More information at 617-536-1608 or www.masshist.org. M-F,

9:00 a.m.–4:45 p.m., except Thu until 7:45 p.m.; Sat 9:00 a.m.–4:45 p.m. FREE.

fri, apr 1-sat, apr 16: Jamaica Plain’s Footlight Club, billed as the oldest community theater in the US, presents Rent, an updating of La Bohème as the story of young artists squatting in lofts on the Lower East Side in the 1980s. At Eliot Hall, 7a Eliot Street, JP. Tickets $24-19. Fri-Sat at 8:00 p.m.; Sun, Apr 10 and Sat, Apr 16 at 2:00 p.m. Information at 617-524-3200 or www.footlight.org/store/commerce.cgi.fri, apr 1-sun, apr 3: Boston Conserva-tory’s opera department mounts Gilbert & Sulivan’s 1885 comic operetta The Mikado (or the Town of Titipu) in the Conservatory Theatre at 31 Hemenway Street. Fri-Sat 8:00 p.m.; Sun 2:00 p.m. Tickets $25-20-15-10. Information at http://bostonconservatory.ticketforce.com/ or 617-912-9222.mon, apr 4: First Monday at Jordan Hall.

the Parker Quartet and the Jupiter Quartet, two stellar young ensembles, alumni of NEC’s Professional String Quartet Training Program directed by Paul Katz, will return to perform individually (quartets by Haydn and Beethoven) and then together in Mendelssohn’s sublime Octet. This one is not to be missed. http://necmusic.edu/first-monday-jordan-hall-2 FREE.fri, apr 8: DanceBrazil premieres a new piece entitled Batuke during a performance at Northeastern’s Blackman Auditorium. For more than 30 years, DanceBrazil has thrilled audiences across the U.S. and throughout the world with its dazzling artistry, inspired by the cultural tapestry of Brazil. Visit www.centerforthearts.neu.edu Tickets, $20 General, $10 Seniors/Studentsfri, apr 8-sun, apr 10: From one classic to another: Shifting from Gilbert & Sullivan to the Who, Boston Conservatory presents Tommy, the rock opera that begat all rock operas. Fri-Sat 8:00 p.m.; Sat-Sun 2:00 p.m. At 31 Hemenway Street. Tickets $25-20-15-10. Info and tickets at http://bostonconservatory.ticketforce.com/ or 617-912-9222.fri, apr 8-sun, apr 16: Wouldn’t the Gardner Museum’s infamous theft make a great subject for a musical comedy? The 11:11 Theatre Company thinks so, and the proof is in The Great Heathersby Heist at the Factory Theatre (in the Piano Factory, just beyond the Mass Ave stop on the Orange Line), 791 Tremont Street. Apr 8, 9, 14-16 at 8:00 p.m. and Apr 10 & 16 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets $17, $15 for seniors. Information at www.1111theatre.com/season.html.fri, apr 8–sat, apr 9: Last year 6,000 people turned out for the regional FIRST Robotics Competition at Agganis Arena. The organizers describe it as sophisticated robots competing “in a highly energized, rock concert atmosphere,” and who doesn’t like the sound of that? Doors open both days at 9:00; final competition occurs Saturday

from 1:30 to 4:00. More information at www.bostonfirst.org. FREE.

mon, apr 11: BU College of Fine Arts musicians perform Mendelssohn’s choral masterpiece, Elija at Symphony Hall. Perhaps the composer’s most endearing and embracing work, Elija is a vivid depiction of the prophet’s dramatic life, expressed

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