The North End / Waterfront Neighborhood Council (NEWNC) covered various issues, including proposed sea planes and park improvements, as part of its monthly reports at the May 2019 meeting. Follow along with this video timeline and summary.
(00:00 in video) Maria Lanza, Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, discussed Mayor Walsh’s recently proposed budget and the specific investment initiatives dedicated to the North End. {See this post: Mayor’s Column: How We’re Investing in the North End] Highlighted projects include a $12.2 million for the renovation of Langone Park and Puopolo Playground starting this Summer, $3 million for the design phase of a new community center at the Mirabella bathhouse site, $1.5 million to study the physical condition of the North End Branch Public Library on Parmenter Street in anticipation of a renovation, $1.0 million to improve the tot lot at Christopher Columbus Park and $200 thousand to study ways to improve Cutillo Park on Morton Street.
Lanza also noted that the Eliot School’s new building at 585 Commercial Street will open this Fall, dedicated to middle school (6-8th grade) students.
Two significant projects are coming to an end including the Prado (Paul Revere Mall) renovation which will officially open on June 4th coincident with the Mayor’s Coffee Hour. And this Fall, the North Square renovation should be completed, including the center area where a new public art exhibit will be installed.
A ribbon cutting is also scheduled for the completion of the Connect Historic Boston bike lane project on May 23rd, 12pm at the Blackstone Block on Union Street. [See the post.]
(05:00) Recognition of Michael Bonetti from Councilor Lydia Edwards office and Luigi Natale from Senator Joe Boncore’s office.
(05:30) Pat Bova, Chair of the NEWNC Public Safety Committee, provided a report from Boston Police on recent crime incidents. BPD is reporting a 9% drop in crime over last year (18% drop in Part 1 serious crime reports). Last month, there were 5 larcenies and 3 arrests in the North End.
(06:20) Carmine Guarino, Chair of the NEWNC Greenway Committee, shared upcoming events taking place on the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway this Spring. See rosekennedygreenway.org for more information. The open market and farmers markets are now up and running. City Winery at Dewey Square and the Trillian beer garden at Rowes Wharf will open this week for the season.
(07:50) Sea planes in Boston Harbor – As part of the Harborfront Alliance, NEWNC’s Ashley Leo and Tania Green attended a meeting on the operation of sea planes in the inner harbor. Cape Air airline has been doing test runs landing and taking off from the waterways between the Seaport and Logan Airport. The airline plans to offer multiple daily flights to New York’s East River at an estimated price point of $400 one way. Concerns raised at the meeting included the disruption of harbor sailing and ferry traffic. Despite assurances by the airline that the planes are running only over water, I asked why the test runs were going over the North End? Docking is expected to be at Pier 4 in the Seaport, although South Boston officials are objecting to the plan.
(15:00) North End Yappy Hour is back! RUFF will be hosting at Battery Wharf Hotel’s patio, starting on May 29th, 5:30pm. See the flyer.
(16:30) Resident Parking update by Jody Faller. The committee is following news from the Boston City Council that it is considering a new fee on resident parking permits.
(18:00) Kirsten Hoffman provided an update on the Friends of Cutillo Park. The Friends will be actively involved in supporting the recent funding by the city and state in anticipation of future renovations. A new exhibit featuring Cutillo Park is being featured at the Boston Pop-Up Gallery on the corner of N. Washington and Causeway Streets. All are welcome to join the Friends which meet on the last Wednesday of the month, 6:30pm at the Nazzaro Center.
View the Community Calendar for the latest updates on community meetings and local events.
