The last 30 days have seen a slight uptick in larcenies in the Back Bay, continuing a problematic trend in a neighborhood where thieves have come to expect wealthy homes, fully loaded cars, and cash carrying pedestrians.
According to District 4 community service coordinator Carolyn MacNeil, part of the increase has come from street robberies, both armed and unarmed, most of which have occurred in the southwest corridor bordering the Back Bay and South End.
“People need to remain aware,” said MacNeil.
In addition to robberies, car break-ins continue to be an issue in the neighborhood, with the most sought-after items by thieves still GPS units. In the past 30 days, there have been 16 car break-ins in the district, of which one quarter saw GPS units stolen. Other items taken from cars in recent break-ins include laptops, an ipod, powertools, and a wallet.
MacNeil stressed that drivers need to be aware of what they leave visible in their automobiles, and to be especially vigilant about concealing the presence of GPS units. Even if the unit is out of site, the marks left by the suction cups that affix the units to the windshield can tip thieves off to the presence of a potential payday. Any such indicating marks should be wiped off.
The problem with GPS thefts is nationwide and hardly limited o Boston. Technology is currently in development that would allow GPS units to be tracked by an internal chip, but is not yet available, partly due to reticence on the manufacturer’s part to increase the cost of the units.
Home break-ins, always an issue in the district, remain high, with seven incidents in the past month. MacNeil said that, increasingly, burglars are using bars to pry open doors, rather than relying on the traditional fire escapes and unlocked windows. Residents should be on the lookout for suspicious persons in allies and on streets carry backpacks big enough to hide prying implements. In one incident, according to the police report, an individual attempted to access a locked apartment with what may have been a stolen set of master keys.

A controversial plan by a developer to turn the garage at 4-6 Newbury Street into a mixed use retail/office facility met with staunch and vocal resistance from elected officials and community members at a public meeting last week, casting doubt on the future of the project in its current form.
The main objection to the project, the brainchild of Centremark Properties, is its proposed height, which would exceed the height of the current building and the height currently allowed by zoning regulations.
State Representative Marty Walz spoke out first against the proposal, saying there was no way the developers could justify the added height. “I hope you all are hear to voice your opposition to this project,” said Walz to enthusiastic applause. Her objections were echoed by the office of city councilor Mike Ross.
The current garage already exceeds the 65 ft. allowed by zoning; in order to extend the height even further, Centremark will need to obtain a variance from the city zoning board of appeals.
Dennis Quilty, an attorney representing Centremark, said that the heigh was consistent with the block and would provide a natural sense of slope.
“We feel this is an appropriate place for additional height,” said Quilty.
The building as proposed be seven stories, with the first two or three floors devoted to “high end retail,” according to a representative from Centremark.
Centremark also claimed there would be no significant shadow impact on the nearby Public Garden, and that the building itself would “read” as shorter from the street, since the top floor penthouse would be set back. The building would have 16 parking spaces underground.
Excited by the proposal was David Gibbons, a general manager with the Taj Hotel, which sits across the street from the garage.
“We would rather see a world class building there than…the ugliest building on Newbury Street,” said Gibbons.
However, the vast majority of those in attendance were bitterly opposed to the height increase. Tom High, who sits on both the NABB architecture and licensing and building use committees, said the increase would be another step in the Back Bay’s “death by a thousand cuts.”
“You’re going to end up with Newbury Street being a canyon,” said High.
Jackie Yessian of the NABB expressed trepidation that the building would set a bad precedent for future projects, and pointed out that the building went against the principles and guidelines for Back Bay development.
The project is currently in a public comment period. John Fitzgerald, who is managing the project for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, stressed that the city would take very seriously the opinions and comments of residents as they reviewed the project.
The opinion of Beacon Street resident Steven Feinberg, meanwhile, was all too clear, when he claimed that increasing building heights threatened to “destroy our neighborhood.”

Mick O'Brien constructs a piece of "perishable art" in front of the Boston Public Library.

CAPTION: The outer stylings station at High Street, a salon that caters exclusively to men.

If it seems the Back Bay’s male population has been a little more coiffed and groomed as of late, it may be because of the opening of High Street, Newbury Street’s first hair salon to cater exclusively to men. The salon opened its doors at the end of November, and Manager Kelly Tarlow says High Street has so far found success at putting the “man” in “manicure.”
“Men really want their own place to go, an environment that’s totally relaxed,” she says.
And that’s what they’ll find at High Street, which looks and feels markedly different from all of the other Newbury Street salons, with sleek styling and a manly décor. Each semi-private styling station is equipped with an individually controlled flat screen television so that men can go clicker crazy and switch between SportsCenter and Ice Road Truckers at will. High Street even partnered with Watertown-based Holosonic Research Labs to provide state-of-the-art Audio Spotlight speaker technology which directs the sound of each TV only to the intended listener.
“The whole idea is to create a personal retreat so that men will feel comfortable here,” says Tarlow.
It’s an idea that was three years in the making. Owner Michael Flaherty, who has three decades in the salon business himself and grew up in a family of hairdressers, saw this area of the industry as one that is up-and-coming. He is very pleased to bring the men’s salon concept to Boston.
High Street’s services begin with the High Street Standard, which includes a shampoo, conditioning scalp massage, hot towel, haircut, style and shoulder massage. Other services include an abbreviated cut package for men on the go, dry scalp therapy, neckline, beard and mustache trims, eyebrow waxing and a manicure called The Handshake. Tarlow says that based on customer demand, she hopes to add a hot towel shave.
The services are much more complete than what someone will find at one of the walk-in haircut franchises. And the prices are probably higher too – the High Street Standard is $52.
“We’re targeting the type of people who won’t go into sticker shock,” she says. “And yet more than a few of our customers have told us we could actually charge more for our services.”
Tarlow says many of her clients have already become regulars, and many are just curious to see what a men-focused salon can provide. She says that women also have been buying gift certificates for the men in their lives.
“We get a lot of Back Bay residents, and a lot of business professionals who work in town,” she says.
And if business warrants – and Boston men continue to care about a clean shave – Tarlow says High Street may expand to a second or third location.

Giovanni Desa spends his days restoring, sewing, replacing zippers, and repairing shoes, boots, handbags, jackets, and other leather items. If your weight loss program is going well, he'll even punch a couple of new holes in your belt and congratulate you while he's doing it. You'll find him at Odessa Instant Shoe Repair at 116 Newbury Street (inside Bush Cleaners.)

City correct in seeking administrative overview
of Boston Public Library trust funds

The City of Boston has every right to ask for overview regarding the expenditure of interest funds generated by the Boston Public Library’s $54 million of bequests. The independence of the library is not compromised by the city doing so nor will such a new policy stop benefactors from contributing.
In fact, examining the trust expenses in detail should be part of the city’s fiduciary responsibility and frankly, we can’t understand what has taken so long to make it so.
Bernard Margolis, the Library’s president for the past 11 years, is an independent thinker and administrator. However, he has not taken the high road in this instance by calling Mayor Menino names. In doing so, he has muddied the waters.
The city will essentially take control of but have no ability to use the funds generated by the library trusts.
Lisa Signori, the city treasurer, is to become the issuing authority for all checks coming out of the trust funds issued for payment. Invoices will have to be submitted, and then the check will be paid.
According to Signori, the city has no intention of using library funds for other purposes.
During 11 years as the library’s president, Mr. Margolis has proven to be a strong force and a man of considerable dignity and verve.
The main library in Copley Square remains the precious gem of the library’s constellation – but we tend to agree with the mayor when he claims Mr. Margolis has not put sufficient resources into the branch libraries around the city.
Some of the branch libraries around the city are in deplorable condition, and without adequate modern technology to meet the needs of their many visitors of all ages.
The mayor’s intention to have oversight relative to the use of trust fund income is, on its face, an on merit suggestion that cannot hurt.
It is worthy of being looked into carefully by the library’s trustees.
What is most important in this issue is that the library must remain unimpeded by in meeting its obligations while the mayor’s office provides overview that has the possibility of making for a better library system citywide.