Planners write wish list for playground re-do by Jacqueline G. Freeman
credit: Karen Cord Taylor
caption: The sandbox at the Clarendon Street Playground is beleaguered by termites each spring.
Parents, neighbors and other users of the Clarendon Street Playground dreamt up their idea of the perfect playground at a planning meeting on Monday, February 5, at the BPL. The purpose of the meeting was to create a wish list for the outdoor space so that planners could take the information to the drawing board.
“It is a list if we could have absolutely everything,” said Marlborough Street resident Kelli O’Brien, co-chair of the Clarendon Street Playground Committee of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay. “In the next phase the Parks Department will come back and say ‘this is what we can have,’ ” she said.
City Councilor Mike Ross helped earmark $120,000 in capital funds in the city’s budget for the renovation — $75,000 of which can be used for materials.
A lot of that will go toward necessary safety improvements, such as new rubber matting under the swings and replacements for the splintering wood steps in the amphitheater. “It is enough money to get those real bread and butter, meat and potatoes things fixed,” said Ross. “There are real safety and infrastructure concerns.”
Ross suggested that a second phase of fundraising could then be implemented to complete the rest of the renovation.
“We have the designer [Nelson Hammer of Hammer Design] working for us now,” said Sita Smith from Mike Ross’s office. “He will price out the projects for us at different levels.”
Hammer took in the flaws and attributes of the playground from the group last week. Hotly discussed items included the amphitheatre, the swings and the sandbox. “The sandbox is a love or hate thing,” said O’Brien.
Each spring the sandbox’s wooden frame is infested with termites, but “Anyone with small kids wants to keep it,” she said.
Safety regulations also need to be considered. In the ten years since the playground’s last renovation, rules have changed. If certain structures are replaced, rather than fixed, then the new safety guidelines must be adhered to, said O’Brien.
Most likely, this will affect the sandbox, which right now sits too close to the play structure, and will have to be moved.
Both those present at the meeting and those who responded to the committee’s survey were on the same page about what works in the playground. “Things that are interactive should be given priority,” said Sue Prindle, who helped create the playground 30 years ago.
Plans and cost breakdowns will be presented at a public meeting in the next few months and the Parks Department hopes to start work on the first phase of the project in June.
Highest prices asked for Comm. Ave. properties by Sun staff
CAPTION: This home is priced for sale at almost $15 million.
Home sales numbers may be down, and selling prices may be plummeting, but a slow market is not preventing some Back Bay owners from setting high prices on the homes they are selling.
A single-family house at 128 Commonwealth Avenue is listed at $14,950,000, according to Debra Taylor at LINK. A 9,000-square-foot condominium at 51 Commonwealth Avenue with seven bedrooms is listed at $13,995,000. This is the same property that fetched the highest price ever reported for a home in Boston — $9,120,000 in 2003 — according to Taylor.
On Beacon Hill a single-family house is listed for $18,500,000.
The three homes are listed by Beth Dickerson of Dickerson Real Estate in the Back Bay.
The house at 128 Commonwealth Avenue is recorded with the city as three condominiums, valued for tax purposes at $4,514,600.
Dickerson said that such properties as these — totally renovated in a luxury manner and with on-site parking for multiple cars — are not market-driven. “You’re looking for a person who appreciates it,” she said. “You’re looking for something you can’t replace.”
The prices set for these properties range from about 50 percent to 100 percent higher than any residential property has yet sold for in Boston.
But the total asking price is not as good a measure of value as the square-foot price, said broker Tim Marsh of Marsh Properties, another high-end real estate brokerage firm. What has changed the square-foot price for Back Bay homes is a new property — The Mandarin Oriental, an uncompleted condominium/hotel complex where luxury units sold out quickly.
“The Mandarin Oriental has set a new bar in pricing, where it starts at about $1600 a square foot and goes up from there,” he said. “If the Mandarin is the best of the best and sold at these numbers, then these units are every bit as good a quality, and that is where [brokers] are going to set prices.”
The pricey Commonwealth Avenue properties, which are larger than the Mandarin’s units, are priced about the same in square feet as the Mandarin was. The two kinds of properties have different amenities. “There is a basket of variables,” said Marsh. “You analyze those variables and find that the basket [on Commonwealth Avenue] is as valuable as the bar-setter.”
Police reorganization aimed at stopping crime by Joseph Domelowicz Jr.
Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis last week announced a sweeping departmental reorganization plan, designed to increase accountability among department commanders and enhance community policing efforts to prevent, rather than respond to crime.
“The patrol force is the backbone of this organization. As police commissioner, it is my responsibility to put in place a command and accountability structure that supports this commitment to our patrol force,” said Davis in a published statement. “It is also my responsibility to ensure that every police officer – patrol officers, detectives, rapid response units, special operations units and their superiors – operates with a community policing philosophy that focuses more on the prevention of crime than it does on the rapid response to it.”
With that in mind, Davis’ plan, according to the district captains under his command, essentially shifts reporting responsibilities within the department and creates better pathways for utilizing existing resources within the precincts.
“It’s more of a reorganization of things like the gang units and drug units,” explained District D-4 Captain William Evans. “I don’t think that residents will necessarily see a big change in staffing patterns or patrols right away, but it’s more about decentralizing the drug units and specialty units so that they can work directly with the district commanders.”
“It’s more of a reporting mechanism,” said District A-1 Captain Bernard O’Rourke. “With units like the Youth Violence Strike Force that concentrate on gang activity which has been moved under the authority of the Bureau of Field Services, giving district commanders more ability to utilize them in areas where we have problems.”
Another aspect of the reorganization is that the city’s 12 precincts have been organized into three zones, each to be overseen by a deputy superintendent. Under former Commissioner Kathleen O’Toole, the patrol and detectives forces were primarily overseen by two deputy superintendents who had responsibility for the entire city. Under the new zoning plan, use of resources within each zone, both patrol officers under field services and detectives under investigative services, will be determined by the deputy superintendent in charge of that zone in coordination with the district commanders in the zone.
Zone 1, for instance includes precincts A-1, A-15, A-7, D-4 and D-14. The captains of those zones, including Captain Evans and Captain O’Rourke, will work closely with the Zone One Deputy Superintendent to determine staffing needs in each of the districts.
“A unit like the tactical bicycle squad, for instance, might be something that we’ll look to use in Beacon Hill, but that neighborhood doesn’t have much of a gang problem, so that unit probably would be assigned to another area instead.”
All of the moves, said Evans and O’Rourke, are designed to give the districts the resources they need to deal with the changing needs of each of their neighborhoods.
“So, instead of having to reach out to deputy superintendents who have responsibility for the whole city, my job will be to work with a deputy superintendent who has responsibility for one third of the city,” said O’Rourke.
Valentine’s Day brings romance to mind, but for successful relationships romantic resources are needed all year long.
L’Espalier on Gloucester Street has a special relationship with romance — particularly engagements. Maitre’d Louis Risoli estimates that he has seen more than a thousand proposals in his 24 years at the restaurant.
Last Saturday, a suitor had a large Tiffany box delivered to his guest. Inside were a number of smaller Tiffany boxes. “For the ten minutes it took her to work her way to the bottom, the whole room was mesmerized. When she opened the ring, put it on and accepted, everyone applauded,” said Risoli.
Among Risoli’s favorite memories is that of an older gentleman who disappeared from the restaurant only to return in a full suit of armor, “He got down, creakily, on his knees and proposed.”
With or without a white stallion, the neighborhood restaurateurs can help you whisk away someone special for a two-hour adventure.“I think Casa Romero [on Gloucester] is a nice little hidden gem. It’s intimate. You feel like you’re in another country,” says Howie Rubin of Bauer Wines.
A pitcher of sangria and shared tapas at Tapeo on Newbury is like a quick trip to Spain. And a yearning for Paris might be satisfied by dessert for two at Petit Robert Bistro on Commonwealth Avenue.
For those looking for a special event to attend on the 14th, a champagne toast, dessert and dancing is one of the holiday offerings at the new Taj Hotel on Arlington.
Around the corner, the Boston Center for Adult Education (BCAE) is hosting “Sinfully Delicious,” a cooking class where participants will prepare a menu fit for Aphrodite. “We have a lot of couples who come, take the class and enjoy the meal together,” says Susie Brown, director of external affairs.
On the 12th, BCAE is offering “Sweets for your Sweet: Homemade Chocolates for Valentine's Day.” Those attending will create a memorable holiday gift.
The Back Bay has Newbury Street for those who prefer to buy gifts. Shopping for an engagement ring could begin with Dorfman Jewelers or Cartier near Arlington. Or, if your lady has a taste for vintage, Brodney Antiques and Jewelry near Dartmouth has a wide selection of precious gems in period settings.
Brodney also has exceptional gifts for men. Their showcase of antique pocket watches, watch fobs and rings may hold the gift that will win his heart.
Wandering down Newbury towards Massachusetts Avenue, you’ll find bright red hearts filled with chocolate and covered in flowers at Teuscher Chocolates. This chocolatier is famous for truffles made with Dom Perignon champagne. “The champagne truffle is a combination of milk and dark chocolate. It has a celebratory spirit and is perfect for a romantic evening,” says Teuscher’s Stefan Bieri.
If fresh flowers are on your holiday list, Winston Flowers can create a floral message with one perfect stem, a dozen roses or an arrangement of your love’s favorite blooms.
A few blocks away, Bauer Wine’s Rubin can recommend a wine to match the food and occasion. “The best wine with chocolate is a Banyuls from the south of France. It’s a late harvest grenache.” And for an important event, “Let’s say you’re popping the question. I would do the ’96 La Grande Dame — big, intense, 11-years-old and still growing,” says Rubin.
From one end of the neighborhood to the other, romance is in the air. And much of it is free. A winter picnic in the Public Garden, a stroll by the river, free concerts, an afternoon in the courtyard at the Copley Square library are available without charge for the romantic souls lurking behind Back Bay doorways.
Back Bay revelry at Beacon Hill Winter Dance by Sun staff
credit: Roger Farrington
Michelle Skupien of Commonwealth Avenue, Mary English, Beacon Street, and Christina Kazis of Beacon Hill enjoyed the Beacon Hill Civic Association’s annual Winter Dance at the Four Seasons Hotel on Friday, February 2.
The Back Bay has a lot to offer the rest of the Boston area in dealing with Turner Broadcasting’s small electronic billboards.
After all, the electronic billboards look like a criminal activity with which we are all too familiar — they are just another kind of graffiti that Back Bay residents have had to put up with over the last few months. The perpetrators are the same ilk — vandals attaching something unwanted on someone else’s property, imposing his or her own idea on others.
The electronics are preferable to paint since they are easier to remove and presumably don’t hurt the material beneath. But that isn’t the point.
We’ve decided as a community that we need rules about commercial signs — where they can go, what they can say, how businesses get them and how many each business can have.
We may not like the rules and we may not even follow them at times — especially with sandwich signs on Newbury Street — but the rules are there to try to achieve fairness for all and to keep a sense of order and an acceptable aspect of the street. They are what we do as a community to try to balance all our needs.
Whether the graffiti is applied by someone who calls himself or herself an artist or is the work of a corporate juggernaut, it shows the same kind of disrespect for the people who live and work in the community.
Trying to achieve democracy and a just society will often create a struggle between order and creativity and the good of the community and the good of one individual — or in this case the good of the community stacked against the good of a business conglomerate.
We’ll back the community every time.
Our protectors did their job
We’re not going to complain that Boston Police and their cohorts overreacted in last week’s electronic billboard episode. As part of the group of citizens the police are here to protect, we are delighted that they acted swiftly and firmly. They should do it again if they are confronted with a similar problem, even if it turns out to be an advertising campaign.
Some people may be laughing at us, but we Bostonians may have the last laugh. We took a few hundred thousand to the bank, even though the compensation wasn’t as much as one ad in a Super Bowl game. But it was money we didn’t have two weeks ago.
It gave our “first responders” — we’ve got to find a better word — an opportunity to practice their reactions.
And we exposed an arrogant, clueless corporation, out to make a buck on our public spaces.
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