SERVING THE FENWAY, KENMORE SQUARE, UPPER BACK BAY, PRUDENTIAL, LONGWOOD AREA AND MISSION HILL SINCE 1974 VOLUME 38, NUMBER 7 JUNE 29-AUGUST 2, 2012 JuLY 2012 FREE WWW.FENWAYNEWS.oRg BY JAMIE THOMSON & STAN EVERETT A uthority to govern and manage the nine parks of Boston’s Em- erald Necklace system is divided among four jurisdictions—Boston, Brookline, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and, most re- cently, the federal government’s Army Corps of Engineers. In addition, some 30 voluntary associations—including the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, the Fenway Community Devel- opment Corporation, the Fenway Civic Asso- ciation, Friends of the Muddy River, citizens’ committees, and associations of colleges and other cultural institutions in the Fenway—all play significant roles in park activities. Finally, hundreds of individuals annually donate hours of effort to keep the Emerald Necklace parks in good operating condition. This rich, dense civic and institutional fabric implies a question: “Who’s in charge here?” The simple answer is “Nobody.” More accurately, “Lots of people in lots of agencies and organizations.” But there definitely isn’t a “czar” for the parks. This indicates that governance and management of the Emerald Necklace system remains true to a well-established practice of governance in New England. This tradition was first described in detail by Alexis de Tocqueville, a French jurist who spent two years (1834- 36) exploring governance in the then-new American federation. He was astonished at the number of self-organized associations that he documented in Massachusetts, and the—for him—extraordinary extent of citizen participation in creating frameworks for collective action to improve the quality of public life. The first “emerald” in the Boston Necklace system was the Boston Common. From a beginning as Indian land it became the private property of William Blaxton, the first European settler on the Shawmut Peninsula in the 17th century. It was converted to common property in 1634 to serve as a military training ground and urban pasture for households in the growing community. At first, the urban owners of the common did not establish a stint , that is, a limit to the number of cattle that could be put onto the common land. But when people observed that the ever-growing herd was beginning to overgraze the pasture, they limited the herd to 70 head of cattle. When the Boston city fathers banned cows and converted the common to a park in 1830, nearly 200 years later, they simultaneously changed the legal status of the common. It shifted from common to “open access” property. This change was important because it defines the governance challenges that the “someones” referred to above collectively have to solve on a daily basis to make the Emerald Necklace system work. All nine parks in the Emerald Necklace system, which starts with the Boston Com- mon, have the legal status of open access resources. They were intended by the Boston and Brookline city fathers—who during the 19th century acquired 1,100-plus acres of land within the metropolitan area to create the parks—to be open-access rather than common property resources. They were, by design and by law, open to anyone for certain kinds of recreation. That characteristic persists today: nobody “cards” users of the Boston Common, or of any Emerald Necklace park (although those who visit the Franklin Park zoo do pay an entrance fee to acquire the legal status of “legitimate users’). During the colonial era and into the 19th century, Boston cows made use of the grass that grew on the Common. What buf- fers today’s Emerald Necklace parks against over-exploitation is that, instead of producing consumptive goods—grass, fuel wood from downed branches, or construction timbers from felled trees—the parks provide non- consumptive services, few of which occasion wear and tear on park resources. Among these are: 1. enjoying beautiful landscapes that vary with the seasons (and which amateur and professional photographers capture to prolong their enjoyment of those scenes); 2. exercising (strolling, jogging, walking infants, little children and dogs, biking, playing pick-up basketball, practicing football, soccer and other team sports); 3. observing, meeting and interacting with other people; 4. sunbathing; 5. bird-watching; 6. gardening in the Fenway Victory Gardens; 7. using pedestrian shortcuts between users’ neighborhoods and schools, places of work, and commercial, educational, entertainment, health and public transportation facilities; and 8. just quietly sitting. Some current uses, however, can be consumptive. For those who want to enjoy uncluttered park areas, users who litter— discarding coffee cups, waste paper, cigarette butts—or who fail to clean up after the dogs they walk pretty quickly pollute the shared views and spaces that others want to enjoy. The occasional overly loud party may degrade the “soundshed” of a park, creating negative spillovers for other users and neighbors. Whether civic concerts create positive or negative spillovers depends, presumably, on one’s taste in music. A saxophonist wailing long, beautiful jazz riffs in the Victory Gardens of a warm summer’s evening may get applause—a sure sign of a positive spillover. The parks of the Emerald Necklace system are complex but much appreciated by users. Yet they pose governance challenges: financing maintenance and operations and coordinating a range of activities among ju- risdictions, volunteer groups and individuals so that their collective efforts keep the parks going as the attractive alternatives to the hustle and bustle of city life that they were originally intended to be. What we hope to do in this series is to examine four inter-linked themes: (1) the origins of the Emerald Necklace parks in the forward-looking deliberations and decisions of Boston city fathers in the 19th century; (2) the problems that the parks (particularly the Muddy River Reservation) presented when Frederick Law Olmsted designed them in the latter half of the 19th century; (3) the problems they confront today; and (4) problems they have faced at various times in between. We intend to profile people who play ac- tive roles in park governance and maintenance. These profiles will feature individuals who do maintenance—raking leaves, trimming and felling diseased or dying trees, plowing snow, mowing grass, emptying refuse barrels—as well as those who head public and private voluntary agencies, and people at intervening levels—for instance, the various police forces and park rangers who keep an eye on what happens in the parks. The first profile features Tom Morganti, a West Fens resident who vol- unteers 15-20 hours a week to collect and dis- pose of litter in the Muddy River Reservation. Jamie Thomson and Stan Everett both live in the West Fens. A Very Complex Owner’s Manual for the Emerald Necklace ‘V’ Marks the Spot Common Boston, a two-week- long celebration of Boston’s built environment, culminated last month in a 72-hour design competition in which teams had to design and build art installations for the Victory Gardens. More photos and details appear on page 7. PHOTO: LOIS JOHNSTON morning rallies near the front entrance, the Museum Independent Security Union (MISU) and MFA reached agreement on a three- year contract May 29 and for now buried an outsourcing proposal that would have replaced the guards with a security firm. (According to one source, Symphony Hall outsourced its security several years ago, and MFA’s plan considered using the same firm.) In 2005, MISU waged an equally pro- tracted campaign. The major issue then was an MFA attempt to reduce many guards to part-time status. In the midst of a half-billion- dollar capital campaign, and with boats from financier James Koch parked on its lawn, MFA was portrayed as a symbol of corporate greed. Many in the Fenway will recall yellow fliers asking, “If Malcolm Rogers [MFA director since 1994] makes $350,000, why can’t he pay his workers a living wage?” After gaining sup- port from the community and elected officials, MISU won a three-year contract that included retaining the full-time positions. In 2008, co- inciding with the conclusion of MFA’s seven- year capital campaign, MISU won a four-year contract that included a 14 percent raise. Michael Rayssen, who was MISU presi- dent in the 2005 negotiations, and who came out of retirement to assist with the 2012 ef- fort, mentioned that during the latter stages of the 2008 contract, other MFA employees faced pay freezes. “So they insisted on a one- year freeze in this contract. We agreed to the freeze, but with at 3 percent increase the sec- ond year.” Rayssen added that Rogers’s current compensation package exceeds $1 million. “When the negotiations started,” Rayssen continued, “MFA made it clear they were not BY JON BALL O n June 26, Museum of Fine Arts security guards gathered at the Punter’s Pub on Huntington Avenue to celebrate the conclusion of a three-month contract fight. Following a campaign that that included weekly Saturday financially stressed. They wanted to outsource because it would be easier to manage. But the guards are knowledgeable about the art, and answer visitors’ questions. Part of our campaign was to have people contact the MFA. I like to think that when they realized so many visitors told the MFA that the guards were an important part of their experience, the MFA realized how valuable we are.” One MFA worker, who asked to be identified only as Russ, said, “The lesson is you have to keep fighting. People were scared at first, and hardly anyone showed up for our first meetings. But once a little motion started, people began speaking up.” MISU President Lisa Rhea, who has worked as an MFA guard and receptionist for 26 years, said, “Once we got going, other museum employees helped out, like with photocopying leaflets. The carpenter’s union made us two 20-foot banners, and a band from the musicians union played at our rallies. We had an on-line petition directed at the Mu- seum. And in April when the MFA held Art in Bloom, (a late-April gala that features area florists and garden clubs), we were out front.” Angel Roure, a 30-year Boston resident, and father of two, echoes “I love working here, talking to the visitors. But when they threatened to outsource our jobs, what trouble that would be. In this economy, when you lose a job, you start from the bottom again. And lots of us were afraid to lose our homes. When we told visitors to Art in Bloom, they’d say ‘How can an organization like the museum do that to people?” Jean Thanex Louis, who left Haiti two years ago and has worked four months at the MFA, says, “I always visited the MFA. I love talking to people. You can never get bored with the art. So when I started looking for work, I knew I wanted to be at the MFA. And now I hope to stay here for a long while.” Longtime contributor and former West Fens resident John Ball lives in Jamaica Plain. MFA Guards Block Outsourcing Plan, Win Three-Year Contract Guards, their families and supporters held pickets during the MFA’s Art in Bloom in April. SEE A RELATED ARTICLE ON PAGE 5
Transcript
serving the Fenway, Kenmore square, upper BacK Bay, prudential, longwood area and mission hill since 1974 volume 38, numBer 7 June 29-august 2, 2012
JuLY2012
FREE
WWW.FENWAYNEWS.oRg
by jamie THOmSON & STaN eVeReTT
authority to govern and manage the nine parks of Boston’s Em-erald Necklace system is divided among four jurisdictions—Boston,
Brookline, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and, most re-cently, the federal government’s Army Corps of Engineers. In addition, some 30 voluntary associations—including the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, the Fenway Community Devel-opment Corporation, the Fenway Civic Asso-ciation, Friends of the Muddy River, citizens’ committees, and associations of colleges and other cultural institutions in the Fenway—all play significant roles in park activities. Finally, hundreds of individuals annually donate hours of effort to keep the Emerald Necklace parks in good operating condition.
This rich, dense civic and institutional fabric implies a question: “Who’s in charge here?”
The simple answer is “Nobody.” More accurately, “Lots of people in lots of agencies and organizations.” But there definitely isn’t a “czar” for the parks. This indicates that governance and management of the Emerald Necklace system remains true to a well-established practice of governance in New England. This tradition was first described in detail by Alexis de Tocqueville, a French jurist who spent two years (1834-36) exploring governance in the then-new American federation. He was astonished at the number of self-organized associations that he documented in Massachusetts, and the—for him—extraordinary extent of citizen participation in creating frameworks for collective action to improve the quality of public life.
The first “emerald” in the Boston Necklace system was the Boston Common. From a beginning as Indian land it became the private property of William Blaxton, the first
European settler on the Shawmut Peninsula in the 17th century. It was converted to common property in 1634 to serve as a military training ground and urban pasture for households in the growing community. At first, the urban owners of the common did not establish a stint, that is, a limit to the number of cattle that could be put onto the common land. But when people observed that the ever-growing herd was beginning to overgraze the pasture, they limited the herd to 70 head of cattle.
When the Boston city fathers banned cows and converted the common to a park in 1830, nearly 200 years later, they simultaneously changed the legal status of the common. It shifted from common to “open access” property. This change was important because it defines the governance challenges that the “someones” referred to above collectively have to solve on a daily basis to make the Emerald Necklace system work.
All nine parks in the Emerald Necklace system, which starts with the Boston Com-mon, have the legal status of open access resources. They were intended by the Boston and Brookline city fathers—who during the 19th century acquired 1,100-plus acres of land within the metropolitan area to create the parks—to be open-access rather than common property resources. They were, by design and by law, open to anyone for certain kinds of recreation. That characteristic persists today: nobody “cards” users of the Boston Common, or of any Emerald Necklace park (although those who visit the Franklin Park zoo do pay an entrance fee to acquire the legal status of “legitimate users’).
During the colonial era and into the
19th century, Boston cows made use of the grass that grew on the Common. What buf-fers today’s Emerald Necklace parks against over-exploitation is that, instead of producing consumptive goods—grass, fuel wood from downed branches, or construction timbers from felled trees—the parks provide non-consumptive services, few of which occasion
wear and tear on park resources. Among these are:1. enjoying beautiful landscapes that vary with the seasons (and which amateur and professional photographers capture to prolong their enjoyment of those scenes);
2. exercising (strolling, jogging, walking infants, little children and dogs, biking, playing pick-up basketball, practicing football, soccer and other team sports);
3. observing, meeting and interacting with other people;
4. sunbathing; 5. bird-watching; 6. gardening in the Fenway Victory Gardens; 7. using pedestrian shortcuts between users’
neighborhoods and schools, places of work, and commercial, educational, entertainment, health and public transportation facilities; and
8. just quietly sitting.Some current uses, however, can be
consumptive. For those who want to enjoy uncluttered park areas, users who litter—discarding coffee cups, waste paper, cigarette butts—or who fail to clean up after the dogs they walk pretty quickly pollute the shared views and spaces that others want to enjoy. The occasional overly loud party may degrade the “soundshed” of a park, creating negative
spillovers for other users and neighbors. Whether civic concerts create positive or negative spillovers depends, presumably, on one’s taste in music. A saxophonist wailing long, beautiful jazz riffs in the Victory Gardens of a warm summer’s evening may get applause—a sure sign of a positive spillover.
The parks of the Emerald Necklace system are complex but much appreciated by users. Yet they pose governance challenges: financing maintenance and operations and coordinating a range of activities among ju-risdictions, volunteer groups and individuals so that their collective efforts keep the parks going as the attractive alternatives to the hustle and bustle of city life that they were originally intended to be.
What we hope to do in this series is to examine four inter-linked themes: (1) the origins of the Emerald Necklace parks in the forward-looking deliberations and decisions of Boston city fathers in the 19th century; (2) the problems that the parks (particularly the Muddy River Reservation) presented when Frederick Law Olmsted designed them in the latter half of the 19th century; (3) the problems they confront today; and (4) problems they have faced at various times in between.
We intend to profile people who play ac-tive roles in park governance and maintenance. These profiles will feature individuals who do maintenance—raking leaves, trimming and felling diseased or dying trees, plowing snow, mowing grass, emptying refuse barrels—as well as those who head public and private voluntary agencies, and people at intervening levels—for instance, the various police forces and park rangers who keep an eye on what happens in the parks. The first profile features Tom Morganti, a West Fens resident who vol-unteers 15-20 hours a week to collect and dis-pose of litter in the Muddy River Reservation.
Jamie Thomson and Stan Everett both live in the West Fens.
a very complex owner’s manual for the emerald necklace
‘V’ Marks the Spot
Common Boston, a two-week-long celebration of Boston’s built environment, culminated last month in a 72-hour design competition in which teams had to design and build art installations for the Victory Gardens. More photos and details appear on page 7.
phot
o: L
ois
John
ston
morning rallies near the front entrance, the Museum Independent Security Union (MISU) and MFA reached agreement on a three-year contract May 29 and for now buried an outsourcing proposal that would have replaced the guards with a security firm. (According to one source, Symphony Hall outsourced its security several years ago, and MFA’s plan considered using the same firm.)
In 2005, MISU waged an equally pro-tracted campaign. The major issue then was an MFA attempt to reduce many guards to part-time status. In the midst of a half-billion-dollar capital campaign, and with boats from financier James Koch parked on its lawn, MFA was portrayed as a symbol of corporate greed. Many in the Fenway will recall yellow fliers asking, “If Malcolm Rogers [MFA director since 1994] makes $350,000, why can’t he pay his workers a living wage?” After gaining sup-port from the community and elected officials, MISU won a three-year contract that included retaining the full-time positions. In 2008, co-inciding with the conclusion of MFA’s seven-year capital campaign, MISU won a four-year contract that included a 14 percent raise.
Michael Rayssen, who was MISU presi-dent in the 2005 negotiations, and who came out of retirement to assist with the 2012 ef-fort, mentioned that during the latter stages of the 2008 contract, other MFA employees faced pay freezes. “So they insisted on a one-year freeze in this contract. We agreed to the freeze, but with at 3 percent increase the sec-ond year.” Rayssen added that Rogers’s current compensation package exceeds $1 million.
“When the negotiations started,” Rayssen continued, “MFA made it clear they were not
by jON ball
On June 26, Museum of Fine Arts security guards gathered at the Punter’s Pub on Huntington Avenue to celebrate the conclusion
of a three-month contract fight. Following a campaign that that included weekly Saturday
financially stressed. They wanted to outsource because it would be easier to manage. But the guards are knowledgeable about the art, and answer visitors’ questions. Part of our campaign was to have people contact the MFA. I like to think that when they realized so many visitors told the MFA that the guards were an important part of their experience, the MFA realized how valuable we are.”
One MFA worker, who asked to be identified only as Russ, said, “The lesson is you have to keep fighting. People were scared at first, and hardly anyone showed up for our first meetings. But once a little motion started, people began speaking up.”
MISU President Lisa Rhea, who has worked as an MFA guard and receptionist for 26 years, said, “Once we got going, other museum employees helped out, like with photocopying leaflets. The carpenter’s union made us two 20-foot banners, and a band from the musicians union played at our rallies. We had an on-line petition directed at the Mu-seum. And in April when the MFA held Art
in Bloom, (a late-April gala that features area florists and garden clubs), we were out front.”
Angel Roure, a 30-year Boston resident, and father of two, echoes “I love working here, talking to the visitors. But when they threatened to outsource our jobs, what trouble that would be. In this economy, when you lose a job, you start from the bottom again. And lots of us were afraid to lose our homes. When we told visitors to Art in Bloom, they’d say ‘How can an organization like the museum do that to people?”
Jean Thanex Louis, who left Haiti two years ago and has worked four months at the MFA, says, “I always visited the MFA. I love talking to people. You can never get bored with the art. So when I started looking for work, I knew I wanted to be at the MFA. And now I hope to stay here for a long while.”
Longtime contributor and former West Fens resident John Ball lives in Jamaica Plain.
Guards, their families and supporters held pickets during the MFA’s Art in Bloom in April.
see a reLated articLe on page 5
2 | FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2012
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street cLeaning timesthe city cleans Fenway residential streets between 12 and 4pm on the first and third wednesdays of each month (odd-numbered side) and the second and fourth wednesdays (even-numbered sides). more info at 617-635-4900 or www.cityofboston.gov/public-works/sweeping. the state cleans streets on both sides of the park on this schedule:• second thursday
the riverway, 12:00–3:00pm• Second Friday the Fenway (includes inside lane),
charlesgate extension, and Forsyth way, 8:00am–12:00pm
• Second Friday 8 to 54 the Fenway (includes inside
lane), charlesgate extension, 12:00–3:00pm
• Third TueSday> park drive (includes inside lane), up-
per Boylston street, 8:00am–12:00pm> park drive, from holy trinity
orthodox cathedral to Kilmarnock street and from the riverside line overpass to Beacon street, 12:00–3:00pm
www.mass.gov/dcr/sweep.htm has a complete schedule and maps.
Fri., July 6 7:10 p.m.
Sat., July 7 7:15 p.m.
Sun., July 8 8:05 p.m.
Mon., July 16 7:10 p.m.
Tues., July 17 7:10 p.m.
Wed., July 18 7:10 p.m.
Thurs., July 19 7:10 p.m.
Fri., July 20 7:10 p.m.
Sat., July 21 7:10 p.m.
Sun., July 22 1:35 p.m.
Mon., July 30 7:10 p.m.
Tues., July 31 7:10 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 1 7:10 p.m.
by maTTi KNiVa SpeNceR
an enthusiastic crowd of coaches, potential coaches and their friends, gathered on the morning of June 26 at the Boston Red Sox EMC Club
for the first annual Sports Leadership Break-fast. Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers, Boston Red Sox Manager Bobby Valentine, Harvard Men’s Basketball Coach Tom-my Amaker, BC Men’s Hockey Coach Jerry York, and Posti-tive Coaching Alliance founder Jim Thompson all spoke about their various experiences as coaches.
The Positive Coaching Al-liance (PCA)—a national non-profit committed to providing youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience—organized the event, which was hosted by Dunkin Donuts. It drew a large crowd, many of whom wanted to know more about how coaches interact with their players, both on and off the field.
The alliance’s Thompson gave an overview as to how PCA came about, teaching troubled kids positive goals early in life that will lead them to do their best later on as players. He and the other coaches stressed how the potential for youth sports is endless and that winning, losing, and even missing shots all matter. Building positive self-esteem with the kids is a high priority if they are to succeed later on.
Bobby Valentine spoke honestly about his work managing baseball players in Japan and as to how he had to adjust his coaching approach for Red Sox players. He was quite humorous, telling the audience how he got thrown out from one game. “I asked the umpire if I could get thrown out for what I was thinking?” The umpire said “no”—then threw him out anyway.
The Celtics’ Rivers spoke about how challenging it was working with his team; many of players become emotional during games. “You cannot motivate a guy for one game,” Rivers said, “you keep reminding them all year long.” He also stressed that parents should never interact with coaches. Rather, they should support their kids, enjoy them, and compliment them after games. If issues need to be addressed with the coach that should
occur at a separate meeting. The meeting dealt with many coaching
techniques. Stated Harvard’s Tommy Amaker, “I like to use movies to motivate kids. There is a line from the movie The Untouchable, that says it best: “What are you prepared to do?”
After they spoke, the coaches took ques-tions from the audience. After a hearty break-
fast, attendees left feeling this was one event they would not soon forget. Let’s hope another occurs next yearMatti Kniva Spencer lives in the West Fens.
Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers met the press following the Positive Coaching Alliance breakfast on June 26.
Another Victory in the WAr on BricksThe Neighborhood Access Group (NAG), a committee of disability activists, has been instrumental in getting a story called “The Trouble with Bricks” into Landscape Architecture magazine. The story focuses on the Boston Disability Commission’s efforts to discourage the use of brick pavers, long popular in Boston. John Kelly, an East Fens resident and NAG member, sits on the Disability Commission. He says “I am thrilled that the magazine included images of some of the storyboards produced by Neighborhood Access Group during our fight against the bricking of Huntington Avenue.” To read a digital version of the article, visit www.zinio.com/pages/LandscapeArchitectureMagazine/Jun-12/416223532/pg-104
rcc President stePs doWn; trustees nAme interim heAdTerrence Gomes, the embattled president of Roxbury Community College, resigned from that position on June 18. He had been under considerable public pressure since Boston Globe columnist Adrian Walker wrote multiple columns detailing problems at the college and complaints about Gomes’ management of the school. The college trustees accepted the resignation despite widespread support for Gomes among RCC faculty and staff. As we went to press the board announced it had appointed an interim president, Dr. Linda Edmonds Turner, former president of the Urban College of Boston.
huntington ymcA rolls out oPtions during constructionAs it continues to make changes and renovations, the Huntington Avenue Y has announced new schedules for services at the Y itself as well as in other locations. The Y will continue to offer members cardio, strength, and free-weight equipment as well as group exercise and personal training at its Central Branch, 316 Huntington Avenue. Interim men’s and women’s locker rooms will be available. Members will also be able to use designated external facilities while construction continues. Northeastern’s Marino Recreation Center will be available during all hours of operation until August 31. The Barletta Natatorium, in Northeastern’s Cabot Center, will be open to Y members Wednesday nights from 5:30 to 9:00pm. Tuesday and Thursday Aquafit classes will also meet at the NU pool from 10:30 to 11:30am. Members can also swim or use the gym at any of the other Greater Boston Ys. The Huntington Avenue reception desk will stock pool and gym schedules, and all information is also available at www.ymcaboston.org/schedules.
could shAred Bike lAnes mAke huntington sAfer for Bicyclists?Soon after the latest bicyclist fatality on the deadly stretch of Huntington Avenue between the MFA and Brigham Circle, the City of Boston painted a new white stripe on the road from the MFA to Mass. Ave. and added the familiar stick image of a human on a bike. With the deaths of three bicyclists in the past five years on that stretch of Huntington, city officials are feeling some heat. Because Huntington lacks enough width to accommodate the creation of bike-only lanes, the city has turned it into a “sharrows,” the term applied to lanes where cars and bikes must share a lane. The characteristic double arrows and figures on bikes painted on the pavement are intended to remind automobile drivers to pay more attention to two-wheeled traffic.
more rentAl Bikes AVAilABleIn more biking news, a business founded in the Fenway is riding high with its recent expansion. MyBike began in 2005 in a Northeastern dorm room with 10 rental bikes exclusively for college students. The idea took off, and the business expanded to colleges throughout Boston and then to the general public. It now offers bike rentals, sales and repair services to the entire Boston metro area and is the only Boston retailer with electric bikes in stock. A unique point is its “concierge” service—pick-up and delivery (free for members) of bikes needing repair within 10 miles of the MyBike shop. The company recently expanded its headquarters, now in South Boston, to support its burgeoning fleet of rental bikes, a growing inventory of high-end retail cycles, and the service department. On Saturday, June 23, MyBike held a grand opening at its new location, offering tours, refreshments, and bike safety clinics to the public. Visit mybike.com for more information.
Pink floyd’s ‘WAll’ At fenWAy PArkBeth Krudys, manager of Fenway Affairs for the Boston Red Sox, sent out a note recently about the upcoming concert. “On the evening of Sunday, July 1st,” she wrote, “legendary musician Roger Waters (formerly of the band Pink Floyd) will be performing The Wall at Fenway Park. As we begin preparations for the show, we would like to make you aware that due to the unique nature and size of this production it will be necessary for the field lights to remain on later than usual and possibly throughout the night on the days surrounding the show. We are working with the tour’s production team to ensure that all efforts are being made to minimize the impact of any impositions on the neighborhood. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you!” Ms. Krudys can be reached at [email protected]
neW lmA gArAge Will sPort A PArk on toPOn Wednesday, May 30, Mayor Thomas Menino took part in the official groundbreaking for a a 400-space underground parking garage at Brigham and Women’s Hospital that will be topped by a new open space, the Thea and James M. Stoneman Centennial Park. City officials assert that the $55 million project “will enhance Brigham Circle, improve traffic circulation, and reduce patient vehicle parking in the neighborhood.”
red sox offer tickets for fenWAy residentsOn a related note, the Red Sox frequently offers Fenway residents and businesses on its list a limited number of $28 bleacher seats for selected games. The emails are encrypted so that responding to them is the only way you can take advantage of this offer. To get added to the team’s notification list, email Korey McIsaace at [email protected]
dcr mAtching grAnts Boost emerAld necklAce ProjectsThe Patrick administration announced $1 million in Partnerships Matching Funds grants last month, including two that will help improve our local park system. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy received $31,200 for its project to link Southwest Corridor Park at Ruggles to the Emerald Necklace at the Back Bay Fens. Another initiative received nearly $50,000 to replace older or missing red oak trees along Emerald Necklace parkways.
BaLLparK eVent puts positiVe spin on coaching
photo: matti KniVa spencer
FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2012 | 3
local farms got a good start on salad greens this year— they’re in
ample supply at farmer’s markets this month. also
look for spring onions, green garlic, chive
blossoms, asparagus and strawberries. later in
the month look for local cherries
BerKLee: outside 7 haviland Street (former Fenway health)last wednesday of each month 3:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.copLey squaretuesday & Friday 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.prudentiaL center: 800 Boylston, across from Walgreen’s
thursday 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.Brigham circLethursday 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.Jamaica pLain: Bank of america parking lot, centre Streetwednesdaysaturday
12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.12:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
south end: 540 harrison avenue (at SoWa arts market)sunday 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Farmer’s Markets
by jamie THOmSON & STaN eVeReTT
There’s a figure many people have noticed in the Muddy River Reservation: Tom Morganti. He’s casually dressed, and every day, all
seasons of the year, he picks up trash lying on the walks, the lawns, and the median strips that front Park Drive. He carries a plastic bag into which, using his “picker,” (a caliper device with a yard-long handle) he deposits captured litter—everything from bottle caps and stray paper to cigarette butts, bits of discarded plastic, coffee cups, even fallen twigs and small branches. He says that he wears out two “pickers” a year—hardly surprising as, year round, he puts in two to three hours a day, seven days a week (except when he travels). That exceeds 800 hours a year of volunteer work, and he’s been picking for several years now, since he retired. The
Muddy River Reservation is—from our personal observations—a nicer, cleaner place because of his ongoing efforts.
Who is this guy? And why does he make this persistent voluntary contribution to the maintenance of the Reservation? Morganti says he started picking after he observed a neighborhood activist, whom he described as gifted complainer, not complaining for once but taking action on his own to solve a West Fens problem. The individual attacked suckers growing out of a tree trunk that were obscuring the view of pedestrians at a crosswalk—instead of waiting for the city, he cut them back himself. Tom saw that and decided that he needed to do something for the neighborhood.
When we interviewed Morganti, he filled us in on how he came to his current volunteer commitment and what motivates his efforts to
maintain the west side of the Reservation at a remarkable standard of “litterlessness.’
Morganti arrived in the West Fens neighborhood in 1968 or ’69, worked as a super for 27 years at a building on Queensberry Street and, for the 14 years before he retired, also held a second job as a salesman in a record shop.
Tom identifies five factors that keep him at his picking. He now lives with his partner near the Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral on Park Drive. His partner has health problems, requires nursing and, Morganti says, he needs a daily break—“a little time for myself.” He notes that he shares his building with a number of Chinese and Russians seniors who, he says, are “‘ancient,’ but they’re healthy, because they walk.” He himself suffers from Type II diabetes but finds, if he exercises, that he doesn’t need to take medicine. So he volunteers, on his own time and terms, in a program that he designed for both the daily break and the healthy exercise.
His third incentive is broader. Morganti reported that he once saw media coverage of Ted Turner gathering litter somewhere. The reporters were astonished that a billionaire would stoop to pick up trash and inquired. Turner replied “It’s the immediacy of the gratification: when I pick up a piece of litter, I know that I’ve cleaned up one little thing for nature.” That reply stuck with Tom. and when
he retired he decided to follow suit.After time for himself, the exercise
and the conviction that he’s contributing to a greater good, Morganti says a fourth motivation is that he meets wonderful
people while pursuing litter. Our interview revealed him as a man of strong opinions, and he values the chance to interact with strangers. But it’s not all great: a few dog walkers he’s met have asked him if he’ll take their dog poop. But other people offer him gift cards during the holiday season.
He finds that a little strange—he’s not
a doorman—but those actions suggest that people in the West Fens do notice him, do pay attention to his efforts, do value the volunteer service he provides and as well the model of voluntary citizenship he incarnates.
Lastly, Morganti says, his litter picking provides him serenity—he finds that he can resolve problems when he’s in litter-picking mode because he’s not distracted by anything. This is the sort of effect that Frederick Law Olmsted envisaged when he designed the urban parks of the Emerald Necklace a century ago: a little calming peace and quiet. And Tom Morganti makes full use of it today.
A Break, a Little Exercise—Oh, Yeah, And Hundreds of Hours to Keep Park Clean
Tom Morganti
by paTRicK O’cONNOR
Three public high schools that make their homes in the Fenway granted diplomas to a total of more than 450 graduates last month.> Boston Arts AcAdemy (Bottom photos) Graduation took place on Friday,
June 8, at Symphony Hall. Zoe Ulrich was chosen as valedictorian, and 63 graduates received diplomas.
> FenwAy HigH scHool Graduation took place on the campus of Emmanuel
College on Friday, June 8. 71 graduates listened as Samantha De Los Santos delivered the valedictory address and then received diplomas.
> Boston lAtin scHool (Top photo) Commencement took place on Monday,
June 11, at the Bank of America Pavilion on the waterfront. Anumita Das delivered the valedictory address. Diplomas were presented to 333 graduates.
Congratulations, Class of 2012
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expecT FireWorkS and BoTTleneckS For The 4ThIf you’ve lived in the Fenway for any length of time, you know that traffic is more vexing than usual on July 4th thanks to the throngs heading for the Esplanade for fireworks. The Boston Transportation Department advises motorists to expect delays and detours if they venture into our part of the world. This year it’s complicated by simultaneous celebration of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 with a port visit by “tall ships,” meaning the fun will extend all the way to South Boston and the Seaport District.
No parking will be allowed on Storrow Drive beginning at 9am on July 3, and westbound lanes will close at 4pm. On the big day, expect Air Force flyovers and a shutdown of both sides of Storrow after 7am. Memorial Drive from Mass. Ave. to the Longfellow Bridge will close at 6pm—although traffic officials could close roads even earlier if they think it necessary. All roads will remain closed until the post-concert clean-up crews leave.
If you don’t want to battle crowds, remember that you can see a good two-thirds of the pyrotechnics simply by standing on the west side of Park Drive between Peterborough Street and the Mass Pike.
4 | FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2012
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the same deferred maintenance that Broke his ankle doomed the y TO THe ediTOR
I’m not a runner. I mean, I don’t run at all. Maybe not in 20 or 30 years. I’m not a
spring chicken. And I broke my ankle in a slip and fall at the YMCA on Jan 2, 2012. Yet this week for the very first time, I’ve been running the century-old indoor track at the historic central branch of the YMCA, the one slated for demolition later this year if the members and all the nearby neighborhood associations cannot save it.
I woke up one morning determined to at least run that track once before it is lost and gone forever. I’m proud to have been part of the struggle to save this historic YMCA from demolition caused by incompetence and mismanagement, and the greed of Northeastern University to expand. Alone among the other great buildings of the Fenway—Symphony Hall, Horticultural Hall, Jordan Hall, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and the Museum of Fine Arts— the YMCA is characterized by deferred maintenance and overall deterioration. The YMCA management has been giving tours of the buildings for the past few years touting the deterioration as though it were caused by something other than their own poor stewardship. The leaking pipe that caused my slip, fall, and broken ankle was fixed in days following my accident, after months and years of being deferred in hopes of selling the building.
The loss of this YMCA is such an unnecessary tragedy for the nearby neighborhood and the City of Boston.
calViN aRey
when dogs get hurt, Blame Falls squarely on owners“Together, we can build communities where animal cruelty is unacceptable.” – Nicole Forsyth, President and CEO of RedRover TO THe ediTOR:
The tragic injury of a small dog in the East Fenway recently calls for a response on
behalf of the dogs involved. The injured dog was unleashed when it
ran toward a leashed, large-breed dog that did what we know all-too-well dogs sometimes instinctually do when they sense their territory is being threatened: it attacked the little dog that suddenly confronted it, and the small dog was seriously injured. This incident was 100% preventable.
When we are forced to confront the problems and social costs that sometimes result from dog members of our community the relationship between the problem and irresponsible or entitled humans often becomes very clear. For example, dog bites, dog waste in public parks, dogs being hit by cars, animal abuse, neglect, and hoarding, etc. are problems created by human behaviors, not by the animals in isolation.
We know that a few individuals are irresponsible, have always been, and will
continue to be. Thus, there is a social need for animal-related laws and regulations that anticipate and attempt to effectively address human irresponsibility, in addition to animal instincts and just plain fate.
An article in the September 15, 2000, issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association examined breed-specific dog bites that resulted in human fatalities. The authors concluded that biology and the breed of the dog alone are too narrow a focus in the search for effective solutions to the problem of dog bites. They recognize the responsibility and role of humans in their observations that “socialization and training” and “quality of ownership and supervision…” are relevant factors to be considered. They also noted that effective solutions should include legislation that aims “to regulate individual dogs and owners on the basis of their behavior.” Additionally, the researchers found that “problem behaviors (of
dogs and owners) have preceded attacks in a great many cases and should be sufficient evidence for
preemptive action” and “targeting chronically irresponsible dog owners may be effective” (italics added).
In Massachusetts, existing leash laws require that all dogs are to be under their owner’s control at all times. Additionally, the City of Boston requires that:
When your dog is off your property, it must • be on a leash. When not confined to your property either • inside the house or in secured fenced yard, your dog must be under control. A responsible dog owner does not allow their pet to be a menace to their neighbors, chasing cars and children, getting into trash, not to mention soiling their neighbor’s yards. While enjoying our city’s parks with our • pets the same rules apply. We must respect the rights of those with whom we share the city’s parks in order to ensure a clean and safe environment.
It is the purpose and responsibility of the City of Boston Animal Control to enforce existing laws and to:
“provide responsive, efficient animal • control services, to provide a high quality of animal care and to promote responsible pet ownership.” “Enforce pertinent legal ordinances and • laws governing animals.” “Investigate cases of animal abuse and • respond to incidents as requested by citizens.”
However, for laws to be effective, and thereby prevent harm and improve our quality of life, they must be enforced. Please, leash your dogs! If you see dogs unleashed on public property, please notify Boston Animal Control (617-635-5348) and Mayor Menino’s Office (617-635-4500). We must take advantage of expert knowledge and existing laws in order to protect all members of the community, including all of our beloved dogs.
baRRy l. adamS
even an open window can’t make a car safe for your dog in summer TO THe ediTOR
My partner and I are among the 72.9 million U.S. households that include an
animal in our family. Of those, 64% include a dog. The $50.84 billion that is predicted to be spent in the U.S. on “pets” this year alone speaks to the expanding social view of what animals bring to the quality of life and the consistent substantiation of the role that they play in human well-being and family life in the U.S. The hospitality, retail, and healthcare sectors are examples of industries and markets that have responded accordingly to these developments and trends.
Our family is dedicated to financially supporting organizations that value the contribution animals bring to social and human welfare and well-being. I hope you will consider offering valuable and compassionate information to your readers interested in keeping domestic animals safe and healthy.
After finding dogs locked in hot cars in Vermont, California, Massachusetts, and Florida, I have been very active on the issue of dogs being left in cars during hot weather. Did you know that the only way a dog can cool off is through the pads of its feet and by panting? They do not sweat like humans do. Therefore, in addition to causing unspeak-able suffering and harm, being trapped in a hot car can prove quickly fatal to a dog, as her paws are in contact with warm or hot seats, and she is inhaling hot air. Research shows that leaving the window open does not solve the problem. Even in winter a sunny day can heat up the interior of a car quickly. In the summer, it’s a death trap.
More information on the tragic magnitude of this crisis can be obtained at http://mydogiscool.com or by searching the Internet using the terms “dog dies in hot car.” The organization RedRover.org organized this campaign and provides invaluable information that has no doubt saved unknown numbers of dogs.
Growing awareness of this problem has resulted in a global response. For example, please view the Norwegian insurance indus-try’s message in a television commercial at: http://www.dogwork.com/nwin8/. We believe that a lack of practical information and criti-cal awareness contributes significantly to animal abuse and neglect, not criminal or inhumane intent. So we are writing to ask you to publicize the tragic outcomes of leav-ing a dog unattended in a hot car, even for a quick trip to the store. If your readers see a dog in a hot car they should call 911 im-mediately or, if necessary, rescue the dog and explain later. The value of a single car window cannot be given priority over the suffering or death that will result by taking no action whatsoever.
Thank you for The Fenway News and for considering my thoughts and suggestions.
KeViN m. malONey
Letters
bu STeVe wOlf
when I first wandered into the Victory Gardens on June 24, I had no idea what I was looking at. But I was definitely looking. Which, in a nutshell, is the genius of the Common Boston Common Build-it competition.
Part of a six-year-old festival of Boston’s manmade environment, the Build-it competition challenged participating teams to research, design, and build something that would enhance the chosen site and respond to its needs. The six teams had only 72 hours, a tight schedule even if you’re an architecture student used to pulling all-nighters to finish your end-of-semester projects.
Not everyone loves the Home Depot esthetic (plywood, cinder block, and ventilation ducts) the projects evoked, but the teams worked under strict budgets intended to keep the focus on the strength of their ideas, not the size of their wallets.
Each project offered a jolt of surprise, a chance to see our gardens (and we do think of them as ours) through fresh eyes. The axis of monumental “Vs” marching in from the main entrance suggested that the park deserves more respect and less being-taken-for-granted. A whimsical seed exchange offered handmade seed packets behind which team members wrote zen-like observations; in the process of grabbing seeds, a gardener might have something
planted in her/his mind. At least two projects focused on building community—hardly
in short supply among the gardeners, but maybe that itself bears noting. One turned a vacant garden plot into a “Victory Center” an outdoor lounge where gardeners could hang out, chat, sit on cool little plywood chairs, or swap plants. A second project offered those same opportunities, but with a Robinson Crusoe-meets-Rube Goldberg spirit.
Most appealing to me was the suite of five markers that each offered a bite of Victory Gardens history. I hadn’t known, for example, that the gardens were built on fill excavated from the Kenmore Square T stop in the 1920s. The first gardeners kept digging up chunks of metal and rock—even the occasional sink, which is why that team incorporated bathroom fixtures into its markers.
Regardless of how you reacted to the projects themselves, the Garden Society deserves a big round of applause for encouraging Common Boston to set its Build-it sights on the Victory Gardens. I rarely give the gardens
a second thought when I bike through on my way to work each morning. But never giving them a thought shows why we needed this competition to clutter up our collective front yard. Those plywood-and-cinder-block contraptions made us do a double take. They made the familiar look different. They made us look.
Steve Wolf’s apartment overlooks the Victory Gardens.
Opening Our Eyes by Cluttering Up Our Lawn
FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2012 | 5
y’s 100-year party a strange affair By ALISON BArNET
Flyers went up: “CELEBrATE WITH US 100 yEArS OF y MEMOrIES Invite your friends and family, and join us in celebrating 100 years of memories with artists, balloon artists, food, a photo booth, live band, and lots of fun for everyone!”
How tasteless, I thought. The y throws a party on June 14th, the night before we have to clear out of the gym in preparation for demolition of the building. What’s to celebrate? Aren’t “memories” premature?
I’m a member but I wasn’t planning to go. Then it occurred to me that it might be interesting from a writer’s point of view. The band, NEC’s The Love Experiment, was so loud in the lobby we older folks had to retreat to the library, which was dubbed the VIP or “Donor’s room” for the evening. Only one donor? Maybe that’s why the Huntington y was forced to sell off its gym!
Did you ever go to a wake where members of the family got up and said the deceased was better off dead? Among the VIPs were several cheerful 50- and 60-year members. It’s a “wonderful” celebration, they told me. “The first 100 years is over, and we’re looking forward to the next 100.” 80 years old and looking forward to the next 100? “The gym has been transformed,” said another. Transformed from a gym into a Northeastern dorm, and he’s happy about it?
Many emphasized how old the building is, as though it deserved to be torn down. “1912-2012” was everywhere, as on a tombstone. For “The last Saturday of handball on the historic yMCA courts” on June 9, a flyer had showed a wrecking ball knocking the A off the yMCA sign on the roof. It seemed like a powerful indictment of the y. Its author, however, a 50-year member, claimed it wasn’t at all negative. He feels good about what’s happening.
A few talked about the incredible diversity of members—“Like a United Nations, a melting pot.” Were they saying goodbye to all that? A member not as happy with the y’s plans said, “I’m feeling sad. Central y is one of the few institutions in Boston where people of all backgrounds, all social classes, come together and are equal in companionable activities.” He and other members didn’t think what was happening was wonderful.
“I think it’s very sad,” said one woman, “this anniversary coinciding with a wrecking ball.” “A Pr exercise.” “They promote preservation by demolition.” “It’s all about real estate.” We took the free T-shirts that said “America’s First,” autographed a torn-up section of gym floor, and ate the Chinese food—“We have lots of noodles,” someone said. “The y lost its noodles,” said another.
The gym building’s memorial plaques had been removed during the week, leaving faded rectangles on the walls. One staff member said he’s been giving out mementos, such as the signs up on the track, to members who ask. But books and y artifacts are still on the shelves of the “Donor’s room,” aka the library, into which, the following Monday, our very large exercise class—“Pattie’s class”—will have to move. One of the World War I posters still hanging on the walls reads, “The ‘y’ serves us where we want to be served.” That’s questionable. The portrait of Charles Vialle, who helped the y pay off its mortgage a century ago, has been removed, though. Good thing! I was worried we might accidentally kick him in the gut. A chart of the muscles of the body will replace him.
It will take three to four months to separate the gym building’s systems from the main building. Demolition won’t take place until at least October. Meanwhile, classes and equipment have been moved into temporary (2-3 years?) makeshift quarters in the main building, including the front lobby.
The Mission Hill-Fenway Neighbor-hood Trust distributed more than $62,000 in grants to local organiza-tions at its 2012 annual meeting on
June 6. Representatives of the winning groups came to the Trustees Room, with its amazing view of Mission Hill, on the eleventh floor of the Mass. College of Art. The Trust has six volunteer board members: Lauren Dewey Platt (current chairman), Richard Orareo, Tina Pankievich, Alison Pultinas, Bettye Robinson, and Bonnie Thryselius. Each trustee presented two or three checks to groups from their re-spective neighborhood.
The funds represent the interest earned by a trust whose establishment was mandated by the state legislature as condition for the sale of the old Mass College of Art building on Longwood Avenue. Beth Israel Hospital, which bought the building in order to expand its campus, established the fund in 1995, and by the time the first awards were made in 2000, the trust’s principal had grown to $1.9 million in value.
Groups from the two titular neighbor-hoods submit proposals for projects that will enhance quality of life in the two neighbor-hoods. Recipients of awards this year include:• The roxBury TenanTS oF harvard
association—$3,200 for 8-week theatre arts program for middle school youth
• maurice J. toBin schooL—$3,450 for Purchase/installation of a kiln for the Tobin School and supplies for ceramic arts classes
• BoSTon SelF help cenTer—$3,629 for Equipment for power soccer program for individuals with disabilities
• mission hiLL neighBorhood housing serVices—$4,000 for timer, technical support staff, and healthy refreshments for the Mission Hill Road Race, 13 October
• MiSSionSaFe: a neW Beginning— $7,500 for summer job stipends for at-risk youth in Mission Hill
• edgar p. BenJamin heaLthcare center— $5,000 for intergenerational program
connecting Benjamin Healthcare patients with students from Roxbury Preparatory Charter School
• The FriendS oF SyMphony park—$1,740 for 8-week “boot camp” morning exercise program at Symphony Park
• harry eLLis dicKson parK committee— $2,000 for replacement of park bench and plant maintenance
• neighBorhood access group —$1,870 for stipends for students documenting walkway accessibility conditions in the Back Bay Fens
• FriendS oF raMler park WiTh Maria Jane Loizou—$2,050 for outdoor concert in Ramler Park on August 16 (rain date August 17)
• FriendS oF raMler park—$2,440 for removal/replacement of overgrown shrubs and care/pruning of trees along rear edge of park
• The FenWay neWS—$3,434 for a new computer for newspaper layout and for digitization of slides from the late Bernie Kramer’s collection of 500 postcard images of the Fenway, 1890-1960
• FenWay FaMily coaliTion—$3,200 for non-personnel costs for a Fenway Family Health Fair
• peterBorough senior center—$2,200 for publicity and t-shirts for fundraising walk on September 30
• emeraLd necKLace conserVancy—$1,700 for 26-week program of Sunday Greeters in the Back Bay Fens Visitor Center
• The FenWay garden SocieTy—$3,200 for historical programs to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Richard D. Parker Memorial Victory Gardens
• operation p.e.a.c.e.—$11,490 for stipends and programming for 2012 Summer Academy, a full-time summer program for Fenway youth
The Trust makes such grants every year. Watch for their ad soliciting proposals in our February 2013 issue.
Parks, Arts, Training, and Quality-of-Life Projects Win Grants from Neighborhood Trust
circle The ciTy on Sunday, July 15The Emerald Necklace Conservancy joins the City of Boston and three other groups this summer to sponsor three Circle the City events. On July 15, the city will create a car-free corridor between Franklin Park and Jamaica Pond and open it to walkers, bikers, bladers, runners and people traveling by pretty much any means except vehicular. Boston joins cities across the US with this Open Streets effort to reclaim roads for all users, not just cars. More at www.emeraldnecklace.org/circle-the-city/
by jON ball
While researching the MISU-MFA contract negotiations (see page 1), I could not avoid noticing yet another instance
of the grip that the business community and its bean-counting mentality has gained over American life. Business people frequently explain that they can only value what they can measure. Many MFA guards are people drawn to the job by love of art. Others are immigrants, drawn to the diversity of people they encounter. These are hard to measure, so the employers increasingly find other criteria (“metrics” in corporate-speak) to measure, and
use them to evaluate workers.I learned that MFA guards were
increasingly harassed for petty infractions, rather than valued for their irreplaceable knowledge and social skills. “Secret shoppers” who know nothing about art even came in to spy on the guards, counting such measurable things as ties askew or visible cell phones,
completely missing the real value of the guards.
Similarly, in public schools throughout America, veteran teachers
who have inspired students for generations are being driven out for failing to write drivel such as “language objectives” on the
blackboard, or because they choose to teach important material rather than subject students to mind-numbing test preparation. Then, having flunked the metrics devised by the bean counters, they are deemed incompetent, and replaced by someone more malleable.
This was what lay at the heart of the recent vote by the Boston City Council to discount seniority in teacher contract negotiations.
When I came to Boston 35 years ago, I worked at Children’s Hospital. I recall that distinguished senior physicians ran it and all the other Longwood medical institutions. Gradually, MBAs and lawyers have replaced
most of them. But do we want people with their perspective deciding on our medical care?
And Roxbury Community College has just announced appointment of an interim president. Its trustees seem to have felt that former President Gomes, a career educator, did not have the correct “skill set,” to use another piece of business jargon. Apparently, the new nominee’s expertise is in marketing. We should ask why we permit the business community—which has of late shown a spectacular failure running the economy—to run our government, and our medical, cultural, and educational institutions.
Reflections on the tRiumph of
the Bean counteRs
armed robbery while maskedOn June 12 at about 10:30am a man
robbed the CVS at 231 Mass. Ave., taking many bottles of oxycontin and percoset and packs of fentanyl patches. Wearing a medical mask over his mouth, he stated “I want this in 30 seconds or I’ll shoot you.” He left the store before police arrived, but was spotted soon after by a detail officer on Exeter St. When the suspect saw that this officer was following him, he went into Joe’s American Bar and Grille on Newbury Street, where he was arrested. He freely admitted his guilt, saying “alright, you got me. I did it.” The officer found the drugs in his jacket pockets, along with a folding knife with a three-inch blade. A witness from the CVS store was brought the Newbury St. location, where she made a positive identification. The suspect was taken to District 4 station for booking on a charge of “armed robbery while masked.”
angry scalperOn June 6 at about 7:45pm two detail
officers near Fenway Park spotted a man walking in the middle of Kilmarnock St. yelling at and attempting to strike passing cars. The man held up what appeared to be Red Sox tickets, shouting out his interest in selling them. He attempted to block the rear exit of the Chipotle Restaurant, holding the tickets in the faces of patrons trying to leave. Back in the street he attempted to block traffic and continued yelling. When the officers approached him he started yelling at them. “You don’t know who you’re f***ing with here. There ain’t no one like me out here—I did ten years. Take off your badge and we can do this.” The officers repeatedly warned him to calm down and stop yelling or he would be arrested for disorderly conduct. After a brief struggle he was placed under arrest and when searched was found to be in possession of Class E drugs.
Big party at trilogyAt about 4:45am on May 30 officers
responded to a call about a loud party at the Trilogy complex on Brookline Ave. A building security officer told them he had received five complaints about the noise and visited the apartment twice, but said that as soon as he closed the door the music would be turned back up and yelling would resume. Approaching the apartment, the officers heard yelling and screaming from inside. A woman came to the apartment door and told the officers that “it was all set.” As the officers tried to determine the identity of the tenant, the woman tried to slam the door. At this point the officers announced that the party was over and that everyone needed to be quiet. The woman yelled “I’m in charge and I’m not going anywhere.” She seemed to be trying to encourage others in the apartment to join her. Inside the apartment the officers observed several large bottles of liquor on the floor and
about 15 intoxicated people. They placed the woman under arrest. took her to District 6, and charged her with disturbing the peace.
closing-time party at our houseAt about 2am on June 3, two detectives
conducted an inspection of Our House at 52A Gainsborough St. in response to calls to the Mayor’s hotline about noisy patrons on weekends. The detectives observed about 50 patrons standing in front of the bar and engaged in conversation and cigarette smoking for about 30 minutes. In that 30 minutes the detectives saw no Our House staff attempt to disperse the crowd. At about 2:30am they entered the bar and spoke to the manager, who told them that incidents in response to previous dispersal warnings had discouraged the staff from subsequent attempts. The detectives issued a licensed-premise violation for failure to disperse patrons in an orderly and timely fashion.
6 | FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2012
He has a variety of tricks. He lets the audience see and know things that the characters don’t know, so that we feel nervousness about what might happen to them
if they don’t open their eyes. He can play with the rhythms of editing to get our adrenalin pumping. He can use close-ups of peoples’ faces both to make us feel what they are feeling and worry about what might be just outside the frame.
The director was a devout Catholic, and his faith sometimes causes him to make his audiences feel guilty for the pleasure they take in watching his work. This is particularly evident in Rear Window (1954) which really brings out the voyeurism inherent in watching the private lives of characters who by the nature of their existence don’t know they are being watched.
Having been educated by Jesuits, Hitchcock indulges in a fair amount of either/or thinking in his plots and can build whole stories around such opposites as inside/outside, reality/fiction, safe/endangered, and of course male/female. One device he uses over and over to highlight some of these opposites is glass—because glass blocks sound while allowing sight, and can be broken allowing danger in or becoming dangerous in its broken form.
Another thing people notice after they’ve watched a few Hitchcock movies is the prevalence of seemingly self-contained blonde women who can become very passionate under the right circumstances. When we watch
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back in the fall, when the MFA opened its new contemporary art wing, director Malcolm Rogers emphasized the wing’s goal: to be a
destination, a space to commune with art, and to provide something much more than a place to view a few discrete objects and move on.
To some extent, it was an easy fit. The Linde Family Wing is a massive space with plenty of room to be filled in by art, ideas, and the creative energies of both artists and patrons, a space to be continually enjoyed, repurposed and reused. And while I will not discredit the incredible amount of work that went into creating this new space out of the old, what the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum has accomplished with its 20-year-old Artist-In-Residence Program—and its new wing—is much more affecting.
The difference is simple: While the MFA has created a space for admirers to connect with its extensive collections, patrons at the Gardner Museum are treated to a space where art itself lives, breathes, and is created. Nowhere is this clearer than in the small but exceptional “Points of View: 20 Years of Artists-in-Residence at the Gardner” and “Magic Moments: The Screen and the Eye,” which runs through August 20.
According to Curator of Contemporary Art Pieranna Cavalchini, “Magic Moments” is an extension of the “Points of View” exhibit.
In fact, some of the works showcased in the 20- year retrospective have been updated to better pair with “Magic Moments,” which highlights work in film, media, and digital projection. The Gardner will present nine projections from nine artists in an ongoing series, starting with David Wilson’s documentary Bol’shoe Sovietskoie Zatmenia (The Great Soviet Eclipse), which will be on view from June 21 through the 25th. Several of the projections are works by the artists-in-residence featured in “Points of View,” most notably Ackroyd & Harvey, Dayanita Singh, and Su-Mei Tse. A full schedule of the series is available on the museum website, under “Magic Moments.” The Gardner, in keeping with its “Art Comes to Life” theme, will offer special museum passes for patrons visiting “Magic Moments.” With these passes visitors will be able to return for each of the nine projections, thereby fostering an immersive experience and extended rumination.
What is readily apparent in the first three of the projections (Wilson’s Eclipse, Ackroyd & Harvey’s Out of the Blue, and Lida Abdul’s In Transit) is the artists’ commitment to historical, political, and social statements. All three pieces are effective for similar reasons, drawing viewers into contemplation about the very real costs of political and economic maneuvering on a diverse and strained global ecology. Wilson’s documentary is sad and elusory. Its narrative of the Pulkovo
Observatory in St. Petersburg, circa 1936-7, and the undoing of promising astronomers at the hands of a Stalinist regime is spread across archival images and film footage which often and purposely shifts in and out of focus. The images and film footage are bleak and beautiful, and the repeated, silvery glints of waves from the Crimean coast (where another observatory was later built and served as refuge) punctuate the sorrow evoked by these sad events.
At one point in Ackroyd & Harvey’s Out of the Blue, a concise and effective four-minute long-statement on air pollution, voices contemplate the sky while viewers are treated to a frame displaying an uninterrupted expanse of blue. It is at once beautiful and unnerving. This long moment of deep, natural blue serves as the shocking counterpoint to an earlier series of airplane trails captured in stills, in moving clips, and in a sequence of prints being piled up in front of a stationary camera. What seems at first to be a beautiful meditation on puffy white trails etched on a canvas of blue, an acrobatics of the sky, turns out to be a reminder of the sheer amount of pollution created by countless jets criss-crossing the globe. Ackroyd & Harvey’s words and voices turn those vapor trails into gashes and scars, into a willful tearing apart of uninterrupted expanses of natural blue.
Lida Abdul’s 2008 performance-based video, staged in Afghanistan, artfully explores
the lyrical lives of Afghani children coping with war and making imaginative use of the wreckage of military conflict. In Transit is both joyful and tragic. In the clip, children climb and gambol about a hulking mass of a destroyed military airplane. The viewer is treated to scenes of children stuffing handfuls of white cotton into countless holes (those of decay and gunfire) in the plane’s hull. These scenes are mixed with others depicting children holding on to strings attached to the plane—either attempting to fly the wreckage like a massive kite, or creating an intricate, multi-personed cat’s cradle, or even imagining themselves pulled along in the plane’s jet stream. Along with this joyful tableau is a barrage of attendant, disparate but diegetic sounds. The result is a powerful statement of hope and warning: Despite ever-present tragedy and danger, the spirit of youth is resilient; we as viewers need to take note of our culpability in perpetuating misfortune.
“Magic Moments” is indeed a unique multimedia experience worth engaging (again and again). Rarely are museum patrons given the opportunity to prolong their experience of art in this fashion. And, based on the quality of the first three pieces in the series, seeing “Magic Moments” through to its conclusion will surely be worth the investment of time and energy.
Steven Kapica lives in Kenmore Square.
In Gardner’s ‘Magic Moments’ Show, Art Lives and Breathes
if you know how to watch a Hitchcock movie, you know how to watch pretty much anything. This is because the late Sir Alfred Hitchcock was one of the most influential artists of his era, particularly the 15
years after World War II, and because his influence is still at work. Once you become familiar with the way he places his camera, or moves people through public spaces, you see those devices in lots of other movies. If he wasn’t quite old enough to devise the alphabet of film, he definitely had a lot to do with the creation of its grammar.
If you want to learn how to watch Hitchcock more intelligently, you might be interested in a free course I teach every Tuesday afternoon at the Peterborough Senior Center. We actually started on June 26, but you haven’t missed anything other than the introduction if you didn’t get to that. On July 3 we’ll start watching ten of his most important films with a viewing of The Lodger (1927), a silent film that was his first commercial success. This film introduces one of Hitchcock’s favorite themes—the innocent man chased by both cops and criminals because they all suspect that he’s done something wrong.
The following week we get the mirror image of that theme with Blackmail (1929), the director’s first sound film, and one in which a young woman becomes guilty in the course of the story. After a viewing one week later of his most popular British film, The 39 Steps, we fill the rest of the course with his American films.
In the introduction we watched a long sequence from The Birds (1964), trying to pay attention of how the filmed events made us feel, and what the film did to make us feel that way. Hitchcock was often called “The Master of Suspense” and is widely credited with inventing the thriller genre. So what does he do in The Birds to generate tension and anxiety in his audience, to heighten those feelings until we almost can’t bear them, and finally to release them?
Vertigo, we’ll plumb some of the depths of this fascination, and perhaps talk about how it finally became an obsession when Tippi Hedren became one of his actors.
These ideas only brush the surface of what is possible to think about during and after watching a Hitchcock film. Over the rest of the summer we’ll go much more deeply into these and other issues. Feel free to join us for one or more or all of them. The screenings start around 12:15 and post-film discussion run until 2:30. Here’s the schedule:• Jul 3—The Lodger (1927)• Jul 10—Blackmail (1929)• Jul 17—The 39 Steps (1935)
with Robert Donat• Jul 24—Shadow of a Doubt
(1943) with Theresa Wright, Joseph Cotten
• Jul 31—Notorious (1946) with Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, Claude Rains
• Aug 7—Strangers on a Train (1951) with Farley Granger, Robert Walker
• Aug 14—Rear Window (1954) with Grace Kelly, James Stewart, Thelma Ritter
• Aug 21—Vertigo (1958) with Kim Novak, James Stewart
Wishing he’d worn his Addidas, Cary Grant flees a mysterious assailant in an iconic scene from Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest.”
10-weeK survey oF hitchcocK Films: Fun, Free and educational• Aug 28—North by Northwest (1959) with
Cary Grant, Eve Marie Saint, James Mason• Sep 4—Psycho (1960) with Anthony
Perkins, Janet LeighStephen Brophy edits The Fenway News. The entrance to the Peterborough Senior Center is off the alley between 100 and 108 Jersey St. (Walk down the alley and look left.) For more information, call 617-536-7154.
FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2012 | 7
ARTSLINES
victory By designCommon Boston, a two-week festival organized by the Boston Society of Architects to
celebrate the designed environment, culminated in Common Boston Common Build-it (CBCB), a three-day design and construction competition, hosted by the Fenway Garden Society in the Fenway Victory Gardens.
Teams of designers and architects were challenged to assess and address the real needs of the community through design. The temporary installations that resulted from this collaboration with the community ranged from a modest seed exchange station to monumental “Vs for Victory” at the main entrance to the park.
By the time the six teams unveiled their installations on Sunday, June 24, at noon, the community was abuzz. Scores of Fenway residents, Sox fans, and members of Boston’s design community strolled the Victory Gardens, delighted by the interactivity of the installations. [Web-based voting, hosted on the Common Boston website, closed on the night The Fenway News went to press. We’ll post the results on www.FenwayNews.org as soon as they’re available.]
While only one team can win first prize, the CBCB was a victory for the Fenway.—MIKE MENNONNO
sWingin’ in the fens sAshAys oVer to rAmler PArkBrazilian-influenced jazz courtesy of the Berklee-based Marcella Camargo Quartet will fill the Fenway at the annual Swingin’ in the Fens concert on July 11 at 6:30pm. This year, the concert moves from Mothers Rest to Ramler Park at 130 Peterborough Street. Hailing from Sao Paolo, Brazil, vocalist and arranger Marcella Camargo performs unique arrangements of blues and jazz standards influenced by the sounds of her native country. In the event of inclement weather, the rain date is July 25 at 6:30pm. —SUBMITTEd BY LIZ BURG
nec students come out on toP At tWo gloBAl comPetitionsNew England Conservatory student Tessa Lark ’11, ’12 M.M. has won the 2012 Naumburg International Violin Competition, held in New York City last month. A native of Richmond, Kentucky whose versatility extends to a virtuosic command of bluegrass music, Lark won $10,000 and two fully subsidized New York performances, including recital and orchestral appearances. She makes her first Naumburg appearance on Nov. 28 at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall. The 23-year old violinist, who studied with Miriam Fried and Lucy Chapman, also won the 2006 Johansen International Strings Competition in Washington and the 2008 Irving M. Klein International String Competition in San Francisco. In addition, she and her NEC string quartet won the silver medal in this year’s Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition. Lark has also been an NEC Concerto Competition winner and, as such, played the Walton Violin Concerto in 2010 with the NEC Symphony and Hugh Wolff, Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood Director of Orchestras. Wenting Kang, a native of Zhuzhou, China, and a student of Kim Kashkashian, won the Tokyo International Viola Competition in May. Kang, 24, who is scheduled to receive her master of music from NEC in December, won a million-yen prize (about $12,700) and—likely more significant—a custom-crafted viola made by Hungary’s Robert
Blaszauer. In addition, her finish wins her an invitation to the 2013 Verbier Festival Academy in Switzerland. Following the competition, Kang performed in Winner’s Concerts in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. —SUBMITTED BY ELLEN PFEIFFER
tWo choice mfA moVies In addition to its French Film Festival (see Pick of the Month on page 8), two particularly interesting films show up on the Museum of Fine Arts film program this month. • In never stand still, legendary dancers and choreographers Merce Cunningham,
Paul Taylor, Suzanne Farrell, Mark Morris, Judith Jamison and Bill Irwin appear alongside new innovators to reveal the passion, discipline, and daring of the world of dance. Filmed at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the documentary features amazing performances by world-renowned dancers interwoven with interviews and rare archival footage. Founded in the 1930s by dance pioneer Ted Shawn in the Berkshires, “the Pillow” today is a mecca for artists and audiences from around the world, a place where dance in all its forms—from ballet to jazz to contemporary—is studied, created, performed and celebrated. The film screens five times between July 5 and 12.
• Move fast to see the fascinating story of a great Egon Schiele painting in Portrait of wally. The 74-minute documentary traces the painting’s history from Schiele’s gesture of affection to his young lover, to the theft of the painting from a Jewish art dealer fleeing Vienna on the eve of World War II, to the painting’s surprise resurfacing at the Museum of Modern Art in 1997. When the heirs of Lea Bondi, the art dealer, asked MoMA to hold the painting, it refused. A 13-year court battle followed, tracking the course of a Holocaust property crime and reopening the wounds of one of the century’s worst tragedies—all as prices for Schiele’s work rose faster than those of any painter on the art market. The case was resolved in 2010, but only after the battle focused new light on the crimes of the Holocaust—and the reluctance of major institutions in Europe and New York to return the “last prisoners of war” to their families. The final screenings take place Friday, June 29, at 5pm; Saturday, June 30, at noon; and Sunday, July 1, at 3pm.
—SUBMITTEd BY KRISTEN LAUERMAN
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Through aug 12: As the broadcast retirement of the Brothers Magliozzi approaches, what better way to celebrate their 30 years on the air than...a musical? Tongue firmly in cheek, Undergound Railway Theater and Suffolk University present Car Talk: The Muscial, described as “low-brow, high-octane fun.” Wed-Thu at 7:30pm (includes July 4); Fri at 8:00pm; Sat at 3:00pm and 8:00pm; Sun at 2:00pm. Tickets $20-$50. Info and tickets at www.centralsquaretheater.org/ or 617-576-9278, ext. 210Fri, Jun 29: Art house aficianados love the films of Béla Tarr, and his last work (unless he changes his mind) screens tonight at 7pm at the MFA. The Turin Horse focuses on Friedrich Nietzsche’s final breakdown when he saw a horse being beaten on the streets of Turin. Nietzche isn’t a big part of this story, however—that is devoted to the horse, the carriage driver, his daughter, and the approaching apocalypse. At the 2011 Berli-nale, where the film won the Silver Bear, the Hungarian filmmaker announced that The Turin Horse would be his last film. Tickets $7-$11, depending on time of screening and membership status. www.mfa.org/film or by calling 800.440.6795.SaT, Jul 7: Barbara Martin, one of the living treasures of the MFA’s Education Department, gives a gallery talk on “‘Paper Zoo: How It’s Done.” Meet in the Scharf Visitor Center at noon. Free with museum admission. www.mfa.orgSun, Jul 8: Matti Kniva Spencer, West Fens resident, poet, writer, and photographer features new framed photos at the Muddy River Gallery in the Peterborough Senior Center. Opening reception Sunday, 1-5pm. The show features scenes of the Fenway and Boston area and continues until August 9. Monday–Thursday, 9:30am until 2:30pm.
Call for best viewing days/hours at 617-536-7154.
Through Jul 9: Kenmore Square’s fine-photography Panopticon Gallery presents “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” examining transportation in multiple ways, from abstract patterns to beguiling scenery
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These events take place at the Peterborough Senior Center, two blocks from Boylston between 100 and 108 Jersey St. (Walk down the alley and look left.) For more information, call 617-536-7154.speciaLTue, Jul 3: • 10am - Senior Task Force• 11am - Lunch with Chrystal (please sign
up)Wed, Jul 4–Thu, Jul 5: Closed for the holiday.Sun, Jul 8: 1-5pm, opening reception for works by Matti Kniva Spencer (exhibit continues through Aug 9)Mon, Jul 9: Neighborhood dinner at Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, 165 Park DriveWed, nov 11: • 10am, Book Swap—take one, leave one• noon: Watercolors with Bill• Taxi couponsThu, Jul 12: Japanese Tea Ceremony, with Kate Finnegan of the Jaki Aso StudioWed, Jul 18: 11am, 40 Pictures, 40 Stories, with CarolThu, Jul 19: • 10am—What’s in the news?• 11:30am—Cookout (please RSVP at the
Center or by calling 617-536-7154; rain date, Jul 26)
This symbol indicates a free event. For even more listings, visit www.fenwaynews.org
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Film Festival Brings Must-See RestorationThe 17th Boston French Film Festival gets underway at the Museum of Fine Arts on Thursday, July 12, with 22 new films and the restoration of one beloved classic—François truffaut’s The Bride Wore Black. truffaut is at his most hitchcockian in this
very, um, black comedy of revenge featuring Jeanne Moreau at the height of her acting allure. in the title role, Moreau remorselessly tracks down every single man responsible for the accidental death of her new groom on the steps of the church in which they have just been joined. she’s not so much a heroine as an unstoppable nemesis. with an ominous Bernard hermann score (hermann scored many of hitchcock’s great late films), this new print is a must-see revival. screening July 26 at 8pm and July 29 at 2pm; in the remis Auditorium. The festival runs through July 29. tickets are $7-$11, depending on screening time and membership status.All dates and times are subject to change; please visit www.mfa.org/film for the most up-to-date schedule.
shot from a train window. 502c Comm. Ave., Tue-Sat, 9:00am to 4:30pm. www.panopticongallery.com. FREE.
Mon, Jul 9: Moira Gillis of the University of Oxford leads a Mass Historical Society Brown Bag discussion on “The Emergence of the American Corporation: The New England Example.” This project explores the legal and historical parameters of the corporation as it developed in New England through the initial years of the republic. Noon-1pm; FREE, but RSVP at www.
masshist.org.Wed, Jul 11: The Red Room at Cafe
939 has several interesting shows this month, starting tonight, when Teddy Geiger appears with Jesse Rubens and Sarah Miles at 8pm. Fri-Sat, July 13-14, bring shows featuring Moon Hooch and Hallelujah the Hills and guests. Thurs, July 26, Club d’Elf brings “Morrocan-dosed dub-trance-jazz,” for a rousing show. All shows are all-ages. Unless otherwise noted, events are general admission (usually $12, but often $10 in advance), standing room only. For a full schedule or to purchase tickets online, visit cafe939.com.Wed, Jul 11: The relatively young Boston Landmarks Orchestra has built a strong reputation with imaginative program-ming; it often seems like the Boston Pops’ edgier cousin. Tonight the BLO opens its seven-week Hatch Shell season with an all-Copland program and a “One City” chorus drawn from nearly 30 area churches and choirs. On the 25th, the program celebrates clean-water advocates and the 40th anni-versary of the Clean Water Act with water-themed music by Smetena, Duke Ellington, and Johann Strauss. 7pm at the Hatch Shell.
Details at www. Bostonlandmark-sorchestra.org. FREE. Tue, Jul 17: Hollywood veteran
Jennifer Weiner reads from her 11th novel, The Next Best Thing, which takes readers into LA’s show business culture to examine love and lose in the land where dreams come true. The author of In Her Shoes reads at 6pm in Rabb Lecture Hall at Copley
Tue, Jul 17: Students from the Stax Music Academy, a Berklee City Music Network member, celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Wattstax and City Music’s upcoming 20th anniversary. Gospel Grammy-winner Kirk Whalum joins the students at Berklee Performance Center as a special guest. 7:30pm; $12 www.berklee.edu/events/Sun, Jul 22: Learn more about the MFA’s amazing collection of Tibetan thankas at a gallery talk, “Seeking Shambala,” led by Jacki Elgar, who relates great stories about the preservation and remounting of these treasures. 2-3pm; free with museum admission. www.mfa.orgMon, Jul 23: Funk band Lettuce celebrates its 20th anniversary in concert at Berklee Perormance Center. Lettuce began in 1992, when several members attended Berklee’s Five-Week Summer Performance Program as teenagers. 8pm; $26-$31 www.berklee.edu/events/Wed, Jul 25: Another Mass Historical Brown Bag brings Wellesley College’s Catherine Grandjean to discuss “Commu-nicating Terror in Early New England, 1677-1713.” Grandjean considers two concurrent stories: the wars plaguing New England’s northern frontier at the turn of the eigh-teenth century and the rise of the press.
Noon-1pm. FREE, but RSVP at www.masshist.org.
Wed, Jul 25: Zimbabwean musician Oliver Mtukudzi and the Black Spirits treat listeners to an evening of rhythm and roots music as part of the MFA’s Concerts in the Courtyard. 7:30pm; tickets $24-$30. www.mfa.org.Fri–Sun, Jul 27-29: The Boston Globe and WGBH have teamed up to present the Sum-mer Arts Weekend, a remarkable three days of free music in and around Copley Square. The roster includes rising star (and Berklee grad) Sierra Hull, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, soul queen Irma Thomas on Friday; family-friendly Dan Zanes, The Low An-them, and folk sweetheart Suznne Vega on Saturday; and classical music with a twist on Sunday, starting with Baroque Brunch with the Handel & Haydn Society, Alison Balsom, and Anderson & Roe. Very definite-ly worth checking out at www.boston.com/
meets at the South End Library, 685 Tremont St. at 6:30pm. For info, contact Janet at 617-267-0231 [email protected], Jul 10: Sen. Will BroWnSBerger holds office hours at 7pm at Thornton’s Fenway Grill at Peterborough and Kilmarnock streets. Can’t make the meeting but have a concern? Contact him at [email protected], Jul 11: FenWay cdc civic engageMenT committee. Help advocate for affordable housing and find other ways to make your voice heard. 70 Burbank St., lower level. 6:00pm. For info, contact Sarah at [email protected] or 617-267-4637 x19.Tue, Jul 17: eaST FenS police/coMMuniTy mtng, 6pm. Morville House, 100 Norway St.Tue, Jul 17: FenWay FaMily coaliTion. Join other families in sharing resources, advo-cating for family needs, and implement-ing family projects. Potluck refreshments; please bring a dish to share. Call one week ahead to request child care for children un-der 13. 70 Burbank St., lower level. 6:30pm. For info or to request child care, contact Kris at [email protected] or 617-267-4637 x29.Tue, Jul 17: auduBon circle neighBorhood association board meets in Room 3D, An-nex, Harvard Vanguard, 133 Brookline Ave. Call 617-262-0657 for more information.Wed, Jul 18: FenWay liaiSon For Mayor’S oFFice oF neighBorhood ServiceS holds of-fice hours 3:30-5:30pm at the YMCA, 316
Huntington Ave. Contact Shaina Auberg at [email protected] if you have a concern but can’t attend.Thu, apr 19: rep. Michael capuano’S liaiSon holds office hours 1-2pm at Fenway Health, 1340 Boylston St. Contact [email protected] if you have concerns but can’t attend.Mon, Jul 23: longWood Medical area ForuM meets at 6:30pm, location to be decided. Contact Rachel at [email protected] for details.Tue, Jul 24: FenWay cdc urBan village committee. Monitoring development in the Fenway and advocating for the kind of neighborhood you want. 70 Burbank St., lower level. 6 p.m. For more info contact Lilly at [email protected] or 617-267-4637x16. Tue, Jul 24: symphony neighBorhood tasK Force meets at 6pm. Location to be decided. Contact [email protected] for details.Thu, apr 26: rep. Michael capuano’S liaiSon holds office hours 1-2pm at Mike’s Donuts, 1524 Tremont St. Contact [email protected] if you have concerns but can’t attend.Fri, Jul 27: WeST FenS police/coMMuniTy meeting, 5pm. Landmark Center, 401 Park Drive. 2nd fl, police substation next to security desk. For BRA meetings and hearings, visit www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/calendar/calendar.asp
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Wed, Jul 25: noon—Poetic pot-luck lunch and birthday celebrationThu, Jul 26: 11:30am—BU College of Health and Rehab Services - presentation on knee arthritis; benefits of exercise; how to successfully start exercising; effects of nutritionrecurring
mondays• 9:30am—Coffee hour• 11am: Movies—Jul 2: Grand Hotel (1932);
Jul 9: The Painted Veil (2006); Jul 16: Don Juan DeMarco (1994); July 23: Casablanca (1942); Jul 30: Smoke Signals (1998)
tuesdays• 11am—Exercise with Mahmoud at St.
Cecilia’s House• 11am—Qi Gong, Chi Kung, or Falun Gong
with John or Betya• noon—How to Watch Hitchcock Movies.
Jul 3: The Lodger (1927); Jul 10: Blackmail (1929); July 17: The Third Man (1935); July 24: Shadow of a Doubt (1943); Jul 31: Notorious (1946)
WedneSdayS• 9:45am—Yoga with Carmen• 10am-noon—Blood pressure checkup with
Joycethursdays• 10am—What’s in the news?• noon—Bingo, cards, chess, etc. with
