The Third Decade

What can we do with four more years?

Some people who did not support another four years of Menino have already begun gazing into their navels in despair about him being in office for another four year term. While it's not what was hoped for, let's face it, the man knows how to get things done. That said, perhaps it's time to look at another four years of Menino as a blessing in disguise. As I said, he knows how to get things done. So, instead of wallowing in self-pity, maybe it's an opportunity to gather in significant numbers to make sure your ideas are heard by the one man with all the cards in his hands. My shortlist for Roxbury is below:

BIOLAB: Can it. For years B.U. has shown that it hasn't been very good at managing labs with less deadly viruses. Why are we supposed to trust them with a Level 4 lab that will hold some of the deadliest pathogens on earth? Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz and other elected officials have gone on record as saying that they don't support the lab. Many residents don't support it either. We know you're for it, but do you really trust the designated operators to manage it well?

NCAAA at P-3: Support it. At a BRA meeting earlier this year, Roxbury residents expressed overwhelming support to have an arts center - as envisioned by Barry Gaither of the NCAAA - built at P-3. That part of Columbus Ave/Tremont St lacks a neighborhood cultural institution that can be draw and anchor. Rumors have floated for years that Menino wants to build a soccer stadium there for the Revolution, but that's the last thing a congested yet culturally-desolate area needs. Support the arts, Mr. Mayor. If you want a soccer stadium, build it on the waterfront or in place of the Biolab.

DUDLEY SQUARE: Build it. Before the election there was a design contest regarding the future of the Ferdinand Building. Your office announced that the winner of the contest would be designated after the election was over. Well, here we are. Show your commitment to the future of Dudley Square by designating a team before Thanksgiving to begin building out the Ferdinand site. Dudley Square has been languishing for years and needs a boost. The site of the new police station has been cleared, now it's time to get Ferdinand on the move. And while you're at it, can you get Jackson Square moving along, too?

Moving forward on the Southwest Corridor

After multiple false starts and controversy, there's good news about development on the Southwest Corridor again. Today's Globe reports that Mayor Menino has changed his mind and now supports Ruggles Place on Parcel 3. I would've liked to be privy to that conversation when he decided to publicly express his support for the project.

Further down the line, it looks like the first piece of the Jackson Square project may break ground at the end of this year. After hearing about this development for four years, I won't believe that it's happening until a building begins rising. Two years ago, the project was said to be postponed until 2008 and plans released to the media contained changes to the initial plans released in 2005. Who knows what's really going on with this project and how can the rest of us find out about it?

With all this development in the pipeline, I sincerely hope that the MBTA doesn't follow through with its threat to cut back transit service. Columbus Ave is already a traffic nightmare during rush hour, even with the combination of subway, commuter rail, and bus service running parallel to it. If everything projected is built within the next 3-5 years, there's no way this part of town could function with fewer transportation options than it currently has.

Kelly, Cass, and Community Centers

There's finally a glimmer of hope that the debate about what to do with Kelly Rink and Cass Rink will come to an end that benefits both sides. 

A little history: Jamaica Plain's Kelly Rink is a small, outdoor ice skating  rink built to replace an older rink that was torn down. Roxbury's Cass Rink was a semi-enclosed ice rink that was allowed to fall into disrepair so bad that it's become very expensive to rehabilitate. Whenever I pass by I can remember stories my elders told me about skating there. Anyway, with major construction planned for Jackson Square (on the Roxbury/Jamaica Plain border), supporters for each rink have been fighting to secure funds for their rink. Kelly Rink supporters wanted a new Kelly built in Jackson Square. Cass Rink supporters countered that their rink is an existing structure within walking distance of Jackson Square that could be renovated. The last time I heard anything about Jackson Square, it sounded like Kelly had the upper hand in the battle.

An article in this week's JP Gazette, however, shows that Dianne Wilkerson may have found a compromise. She's working on securing funds to have a new Kelly built in Jackson Square as an enclosed ice rink and to have Cass repurposed as an enclosed roller rink and pool. Wow! I like the creative thinking behind this effort and hope the state can pull together funding for both projects - from design to construction and maintenance. 

The next things I'd like to see are more restaurants and some music venues around Dudley Square. If we had those, I'd have almost no reason go anywhere else.

Power to the People

This was a good week to be a young person of color in Boston. I was witness to the growing political and economic clout people of color are gaining in this city and I was entertained by a young filmmaker who has received many kudos but little recognition.

Tuesday I attended a community meeting for residents in and around Jackson Square. The area stretches roughtly from Hyde Square and Egleston Sqare in Jamaica Plain to Fort Hill in Roxbury. The goal of the meeting was to present the development proposals of two groups, one corporate and one a partnership of non-profit, community-based neighborhood development groups. While the two proposals were similar in design and scope (each included hundreds of new housing units, thousands of square feet of retail space, a community recreational center with a skating rink, and a pavillion for ourdoor performanances), some of the subtle differences were notable.

I appreciated the corporate group's plan to mitigate the effects of building on contaminated soil and was comfortable with their extensive background in building design and construction. However, they were a little vague on pricing and participation by community residents in working on the constuction jobs and in making the new housing affordable for locals. The non-profit group was very well supported by the community when they did their presentation. The crowd often applauded when each speaker stood at the podium and there were clearly people in the audience who knew the presentors personally. At times I even found myself being swept up in the enthusiasm of the attendees despite that being my first community meeting. The non-profit presentation did an excellent job at addressing the concerns of the community (job creation and access to affordable housing) and in presenting a well thought out design concept. However, I did have a few concerns about whether that group had enough experience and capital to pull off a project of that magnitude. This is definitely a project which I will be following for a while. The public has until Mach 11 to submit its comments to the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

In entertainment news, I saw a fantastic new movie called Brother to Brother. The movie splits its time between following the day-to-day struggles of a young gay, Black man in NYC and relating some of the day-to-day struggles of important gay, Black writers during the Harlem Renaissance. The link between the two is a writer from the Harlem Renaissance who befriends the young man and shares his stories. It's a very powerful and thought-provoking movie which, despite being a Sundance Award winner, unfortunately has a very limited release. It's leaving Boston after only a week! Hopefully more people will be able to see the film at some point though.