CAMBRIDGEPORT

Cambridgeport History: Magaret Fuller

2010-05-30T19:41:00.004-04:00

This Memorial Day weekend, as the neighborhood pauses to remember those who have served to defend our country, we might also spare a thought for a giant among C-port's native sons and daughters: women's rights advocate, pioneering journalist, leading Transcendentalist and literary critic Sarah Margaret Fuller.

May 23rd marked the 200th anniversary of Fuller's birth in 1810 in what was then Cambridgeport (now the Area IV neighborhood of Cambridge), just a few short blocks from Central Square on Cherry Street. Dina Harris penned a great column in the Cape Cod Times to mark the occassion, unearthing Fuller's amazing legacy, which has not diminished but has faded in the 160 years since her death. (An amazing life ended in dramatic fashion in an 1850 shipwreck off of Fire Island, NY.) Her account adds to numerous others in summarizing Fuller's contributions to journalism, to feminism, to philosophy, and to much else. Harris captures the unique blend of qualities in Fuller by quoting Edgar Allen Poe: "Humanity is divided into Men, Women, and Margaret Fuller."

Her childhood house on Cherry Street is now a National Historic Landmark, and since 1902 has served the city's most vulnerable residents by providing needed shelter and services. Today the Margaret Fuller House is a community institution with a "busy food pantry, an out of school time program for children, summer camp, outreach to young adults at risk, heath related programs for seniors and men of color, community organizing, and an open computer center and free technology classes. We host community-wide events, financial, exercise, poetry writing, drumming and other classes and welcome the Area IV community to meetings and local gatherings." (from the MFH website) The organization is marking 2010 with a year-long celebration of Fuller's legacy.

Image of Fuller from Wikipedia.

Gardening in the City

2010-05-26T13:03:00.007-04:00

Cambridge is full of lots of public spaces that are too small to be properly accounted for in budget and maintenance, but too large to just be ignored. So, often we end up with bare patches of dirt and empty tree boxes in places with far more potential.

Enter some active neighbors and their green thumbs, aka the Pick-a-Pocket Gardeners. Last year, these folks volunteered to adopt several City-owned pocket-gardens and maintainted them throughout the growing season. DPW kicked in some training and landscape materials.

This year, the group wants to expand, and so DPW is hosting a kickoff meeting next Wednesday (6/2) at 6:30pm at the DPW offices at 147 Hampshire Street.

From an invitation email from the aptly named Kathy Gardner:

[Last year, w]e all enjoyed the fresh air, interesting conversations, and exercise and we were greatly appreciated by passersby and businesses. We also improved our own and our neighbor's quality of life by promoting beauty in our environment. Can you beat that for a free activity?
This year the program is expanding to include more parks and more people. You may already have noticed a spot you would like to take care of -- we'll help you get started. At the meeting we will match volunteers with garden spaces in their neighborhood...

Please contact Ellen Coppinger, ecoppinger@cambridgema.gov for more information or to express interest.

Is C-port Safe? (Part II)

2010-05-25T09:58:00.005-04:00

I suppose it was tempting fate to write a post like last week's, where I noted the decrease in C-port's already low crime rates. It would figure there would be a rash of incidents to follow, and they did:

Two men stabbed in dispute over beer near Granite Street.

A woman assaulted, who thankfully managed to escape, on Pleasant Street.

A man breaks into a Fairmont Street home, threatening to kill or shoot the female inhabitant.

All harrowing incidents, for sure, and hopefully CPD makes real progress finding and arresting the assailants.

This rash of incidents doesn't reverse the trends noted in the CPD report discussed last week. But one violent crime is too many, and anecdotal evidence is waaaaaay more colorful and convincing than statistical evidence in instilling uneasyness in the neighborhood. As the weather warms up and crime starts to be more prevelent, please take care (and remind your neighbors) to be vigilent against property crime and to be aware of their surroundings at all times. Let's keep C-port safe!

Magazine Pedestrian Bridge Meeting Thursday

2010-05-19T08:50:00.006-04:00

MassDOT is hosting a public meeting this Thursday (May 20th) at 7pm at the Morse School to discuss the construction plans and anticipated traffic and pedestrian impacts for the Magazine Beach Pedestrian Bridge Replacement Project. The Magazine crossing is an important part of three larger efforts: the state's Accelerated Bridges Program, the ongoing Magazine Beach transformation, and Cambridge CDD's effort to better connect the neighborhoods with the riverside parks.

Some more background on the project, per MassDOT:

As part of Patrick-Murray Administration’s $3 billion Accelerated Bridge Program, aimed at quickly repairing the Commonwealth’s most neglected bridges, MassDOT recently awarded a contract to S & R Corporation of Lowell for the replacement of the Magazine Beach Pedestrian Bridge. This project consists of the demolition and replacement of the existing pedestrian bridge over Memorial Drive. The new structure will have ADA compliant ramps and code compliant handrails. The project also includes the installation an over height detection system and temporary signals as well as site restoration.
Image of the Magazine Beach Pedestrian Bridge from the MassDOT ABP presentation on March 2.

Is Cambridgeport Safe?

2010-05-10T21:34:00.009-04:00

At the most recent Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association meeting, Dep. Superintendent Paul Ames and Sgt Leon Lashley of CPD were on the agenda to discuss neighborhood policing and the most recent crime statistics for the neighborhood. The officers are two of our current officers focused specifically on C-port in CPD's Neighborhood Sergeants Program.

First, an interesting note on the nature of community perceptions of safety: having lived in a variety of neighborhoods of different safety levels around the country, I have noticed it is not the amount of offenses that concerns residents as much as the crime rates trends. In other words, people have very different thresholds for what an "acceptable" level of crime, and generally won't live in a neighborhood that doesn't meet that individual threshold. Once someone has settled in a place and adopted the appropriate level of vigilence against crime, if the crime rate changes, it can make a big difference. As an example, Cambridgeport is a far safer place--by any measure--than my old neighborhood in DC, where I was quite content. But if the crime rate here were to increase significantly, I would be very concerned--even if the rates stayed well below my old neighborhood's.

Having said that, we can almost universally declare that yes, C-port is a safe neighborhood, even compared to the broader City of Cambridge--a place without a single murder in the first quarter of 2010. Just this week, CPD released the official Crime Report for the first quarter of the year Below is a chart showing crimes by type for all the Cambridge neighborhoods east of Harvard Square.

Two things jump out at me: first, that East Cambridge, C-port, Area 4, and Riverside had very similar crime profiles early this year, noticably more than Inman, Midcambridge and Aggasiz. Second, however, if you park your car in Midcambridge, lock up.

But to my earlier point, what about C-port itself? Is it getting more safe? Here's another chart based on data from the CPD report showing the first quarter of the last 5 years, grouped by crime type. Compared to last year, every category of crime shows a decrease except for "malicious destruction," which as Deputy Ames pointed out, is a little misleading, since that crime covers everything from graffiti to more serious property crime. A lot of this is statistical noise from the small sample size, but certainly the neighborhood is not seeing the kind of uptick in crime you might expect in this economy, rather, it has gotten noticably quieter over the past two years.

Check out the full report for yourself, or as always, C-port's consistently updated Crime Log.

Thanks to Deputy Ames, Sgt Kathleen Murphy, and Rebecca Burbank for their help and responsiveness.

Economy Hardware Files for Bankruptcy

2010-05-09T21:33:00.002-04:00

Per the CentralSquare.com blog, the owners of Economy Hardware filed for bankruptcy protection in late April. The Central Square store, along with another store in Brookline, have been a fixture for more than a generation. From the CS post:

In a phone interview Tuesday, owner Larry Friedman said the
company “ran into some challenging years” that ultimately prompted the filing. He is the second-generation owner of the family business that has been in Greater Boston for over 61 years.

“We have no intention of winding down,” Friedman said. “I expect to have the stores as they exist now.”

Photo from Yelp.com

Green Builidng Ordinance Nearing Approval

2010-05-05T14:17:00.007-04:00

The work over the past couple of years to develop a citywide Green Building standard has almost reached fruition. The goal is something similar to Boston's Article 37 (one of the first and most progressive zoning standards in the country), but adding a few interesting incentives for Green Roofs and other measures. There are a few Hearings upcoming--one this Thursday--on the proposed standards (details at bottom).

Here are some of the highlights of the proposed standards, paraphrased from a memo from the City Manager to the community:

All major new construction (and significant rehabs) would be required, at a minimum, to meet LEED green building criteria at the following levels: 25,000-49,999 sf (think small office buildings, drugstore-sized retail) would be required to meet LEED ‘Certified’ level, while 50,000 sq. ft. and larger would meet LEED ‘Silver’
Formal certification from US Green Building Council (USGBC)/ Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) would not be required.
Green roofs would be excluded from the calculation of gross floor area, allowing buildings to be slightly larger (with increased income potential) in exchange for the expense of installing a green roof. As an incentive to create green roofs, decks or patios less than or equal to 15% of the green roof area and set back 10’ from all building edges may also be excluded from the calculation of GFA in certain zoning districts.
Other green building elements that may reduce a building’s energy consumption and improve indoor environmental quality would be excluded from the calculation of GFA, including extensive wall insulation and shading devices.
Building mounted solar energy systems (such as MIT's proposed Solar Air Conditioning System) would be defined as mechanical equipment in the zoning ordinance and hence would not be subject to FAR and height restrictions. Installation of solar systems would require a building permit and new development projects adjacent to existing solar systems would be encouraged to minimize shadow impacts on those solar systems.

Here is the info on the two upcoming meetings, per CDD's Iram Farooq, a city planner:

At the Ordinance Committee, May 6, 6 pm (Sullivan Chamber, City Hall, 795 Mass Ave
At the Planning Board, May 18, 7:20 pm (2nd Floor Meeting Room, at City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway)

MIT's Solar Air Conditioning System Research

2010-05-03T13:32:00.008-04:00

MIT is planning on installing a Solar Air Conditioning System on the roof of their Mail Facility building at 350 Brookline St (between Henry and Waverly Streets in lower C-port). Solar cooling has a lot of potential to help buildings get closer to zero net energy use, so this is exciting research. These systems have a ton of variants, however, and the neighborly details (size of system, energy impact, efficiency, etc) is in each installations particular details.

Sarah Gallop, MIT's Co-Director of Government and Community Relations (and no stranger to the neighborhood), passed along a flyer for a public meeting on Thursday 5/13 at the Mail where some of these questions can be answered.

Full flyer with details (including location) below.
Solar AC Flyer

Let's Go to the Beach!

2010-04-30T11:51:00.003-04:00

With what's looking like a great weekend of weather coming up, it will be a great opportunity to head down the the Charles and see the newly reopened Magazine Beach park. The reconstruction by DCR is part of a massive, ongoing transformation of the Mag Beach area that has been underway for years (with some aspects coming under a good deal of local criticism).

At Wednesday's CNA meeting, Cathie Zusy passed along some of the park's key summer dates:

Magazine Beach is open. The big fence is down and Cambridge Youth Soccer is already using the fields. Only the large drainage basin has a fence around it; they are still seeding this area.
The Magazine Beach pool will be open from Saturday, June 26 to Sunday, August 29th this summer.
There will be a meeting on the imminent rehabilitation of the Memorial Drive pedestrian bridge at Magazine Street soon, details forthcoming.

Also at the CNA meeting, some folks from CDD presented a draft report as an update on the City's effort to improve our relationship with the river and the reservation parkland. Have a look at the report here.

Image from the 2002 DCR Charles River Masterplan of an initial idea of the reconstruction.

Spring Cleaning

2010-04-28T17:30:00.002-04:00

Local businesses and active Cantabridgeons take to the streets this Saturday in the Second Annual Central Square Cleanup. Looks like the weather will cooperate nicely, too.

Start 8:30 am at Clear Conscience Café (581 Mass Ave) for tea and coffee. Finish up at 11:30 am at Toscanini (899 Main Street) with ice cream and big thanks!!

h/t to Minka vanBeuzekom; Photo by Flickr user meeralee, used under Creative Commons.

A Big Week for C-Port Meetings

2010-04-25T22:04:00.006-04:00

UPDATE: 24 Decatur Street has been removed from Thursday's BZA agenda (and moved to June's meeting) at the owners' request.

Here is their reasoning:

Because we have made some last-minute changes to rearrange parking and further reduce the footprint and volume of the proposed building in the back of the lot, we will be asking the Board of Zoning Appeals for a Continuance of our case. This means that it will be a waste of time if you were planning on attending the meeting to support or oppose our plans (or simply hear more about them). We regret any inconvenience this change may cause. When the Board instructs us about the new date we will spread the word.

Lots of actvity in the neighborhood lately, and there are several meetings this week to gather info and give feedback:

Monday (4/26): Western Ave Community Walk
6pm, beginning at Andala Cafe at 286 Franklin St.
The third of the ongoing series of community walking tours to inform the planned Western Avenue reconstruction, this walk will focus on traffic, signals and stop signs. Over 20 people turned out for last Monday's walk. Per the City: "These informal walks are led by city staff with occasional outside guests. The walks provide opportunities for neighbors to learn more about the project, and provide input to city staff. The walks are free and open to the public. Each walk will start near Central Square, go down Western Avenue to the Charles River, and back. All walks are on RAIN or SHINE."

Tuesday (4/27): Neighborhood Meeting for LBJ Apartments revitalization
7pm, Morse School auditorium at 40 Granite St.
The second of two public meetings to discuss the CHA's planned revitalization of the 178-unit LBJ Apartment complex on Erie Street. Spurred by a $10 million Federal stimulus grant,
the CHA and Tise Design Associates have been working to develop plans to renovate the building exterior, core buildings systems such as heating and ventilation, as well as significant improvements to unit interiors and common spaces. The meeting will provide an overview of the first meeting and also present new plans for the landscape design and site work.

Wednesday (4/28): C-Port Neighborhood Association meeting
7pm, Woodrow Wilson Court community room off of Fairmont St.
The regular CNA meeting, with a full and interesting agenda.

~~Thursday (4/29): BZA Hearing on 24 Decatur Street proposal~~
8pm, Cambridge Senior Center, 806 Mass Ave.
Come hear about a relatively small project that has garnered a large amount of neighborhood attention lately. Come especially if you have useful input for the BZA to make an informed decision on the proposed variances.

It's the Little Things

2010-04-23T19:43:00.004-04:00

Every generation or so, a really huge, transformational change comes to a neighborhood like Cambridgeport, sparking endless discussion, heated argument, and immediate and obvious impact. The redevelopment of the University Park is an example of one such change, masterplanned and debated to the Nth degree. But really it's the little decisions made by each of us, repeated hundreds of times across the years, that shape C-port's physical and social makeup. I've often wondered while walking through the neighborhood if we really grasp how our decisions on our own property affect others, just by adding or altering our daily routines, from using a garish new color of housepaint, to planting a beautiful flowering pear tree, to keeping junk in our front yard. These decisions--and how we react to them as a community--are a big part of what makes up our daily lives.

I've been fascinated to watch this interaction play out in recent weeks in sidewalk conversations and over the CNA listserv as neighbors discuss one single decision by C-port homeowners to build an accessory unit that requires special permission from the city (variances from city zoning laws, but fairly common ones). Some reacted to the physical constraints the new structure would impose on the block and on abutters, reducing light, open space, privacy, and parking in a block with little of each. In contrast, others saw a family following the right process with the city and their abutters, on their own property, to pursue a decision with plenty of local precedent. Some of these observers wondered how they would feel about others opposing a similar decision of their own.

First, from the owners themselves:

We know that there has been considerable development in the area in the recent past, and not all of it has had a positive impact on the neighborhood.We think our project will have a positive impact, for we are renovating (and slightly reducing the size of) an existing structure that's in very bad shape and building a new home in the back of a lot that's also in rough shape. Where no one could live before, two families will be able to reside—in buildings very much in keeping with the character of the neighborhood.

...and selections from the ongoing dialogue:

"several of us in the neighborhood oppose this new construction as it would destroy the privacy and open space currently in place between 15, 21, 23 valentine st, 20, 22 decatur st, and other abutting properties. adding another single family house on the small lot would ruin green space, crowd the neighborhood, and increase the number of cars parked on decatur st. we feel that renovations and an addition to the existing structure would suffice, and see no reason to grant the variances."
"We would much prefer a new unit and a renovated unit on that lot to the existing run-down building. The large number of run-down buildings in our neighborhood is certainly a much greater drag on our neighborhood’s property values than adding a unit in the back half of that large lot would be."
"The privacy and open space enjoyed by the properties adjoining no 24, in Decatur St, Valentine Place and Valentine St, will be lost forever; increasing the density of housing by allowing a second house to be built on a very small lot will alter the character of the neighbourhood for the worse and devalue the existing properties."
"It makes sense for all to work in a cooperative manner if possible - for those who are building to have some consideration for the neighbors and for the neighbors not to raise objections based on their preference of having space they don't own stay vacant."

To me, this is exactly how these things should be done. Reasoned commentary from neighbors leading to a public meeting next week where City planning and zoning officials can make an informed decision based on letters and comments from the public.

Have an opinion? Join the meeting: the Board of Zoning Appeals will be holding a hearing on the variance application on Thursday April 29 at 8:00 PM at the Cambridge Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Avenue.

Next CNA Meeting on Wednesday the 28th

2010-04-15T13:19:00.003-04:00

Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association meeting announcement, per Carolyn Shipley:

Wednesday, April 28th at 7 p.m.
(Community Room of Woodrow Wilson Court, enter on Fairmont St. off Magazine St.)

There will be two presentations on proposals for future use of the land bordering the Charles River, principally on the Cambridge side. Representatives from Livable Streets Alliance and the City of Cambridge will present their riverside concepts.

Other items of discussion or update: Magazine Beach openings, Memorial Drive pedestrian overpass, crime stats.Also a brief report on planned Western Avenue reconstruction, upcoming community events, and the proposed middle schools.

LBJ Apartments to be Renovated this Summer

2010-04-12T23:27:00.004-04:00

The Cambridge Housing Authority held a meeting last night to review plans to renovate LBJ Apartments on Erie Street. Construction is anticipated to begin in August of this year. Having been out of town, we missed the meeting, but here's some information from the flier sent to abutters:

The Cambridge Housing Authority, residents of L. B. Johnson Apartments and Tise Design Associates have been working to develop plans for a renovated LBJ including the building exterior, core buildings systems such as heating and ventilation, as well as significant improvements to unit interiors and common spaces. A main focus has been to improve the energy efficiency of the building.
The Cambridge Housing Authority received a $10 million Federal Stimulus Grant that completed the funding necessary to proceed with modernization at L. B. Johnson Apartments.

For more information, call (617-520-6259) or email Allison Lynch in the Planning and Development for the Cambridge Housing Authority.

Rodney's Bookstore Closing

2010-04-07T23:39:00.002-04:00

More Central Square retail news, via CentralSquare.com. From the post:

Ken Reeves announced Monday at the city council meeting that Rodney’s used bookstore is closing as the owner wants to retire. He said there was some good news that the space may become a nightclub. Rodney’s book store is located at 689 Massachusetts Ave in Central Square.

Photo of Rodneys from yelp.com

Improving Central Square through Neighbor Input

2010-04-04T19:18:00.005-04:00

Spurred on by lots of recent and impending changes to Central Square--including store closings and news of restaurant openings--the City is tackling the oft-maligned Square's public image head on. The first step is to move through a process that encourages a broad public dialogue in the Square's problems, its strengths and its potential. That dialogue will next take the form of specific, topical conversations held over the next few weeks. Join any or all of the groups below (listed in order of meeting date):

Retail Mix & Vacancies
Discussing the need for more, affordable family apparel stores, better general merchandise stores, vacancies that fit needs, anchor tenants, potential math tutoring venue, a home-style, affordable diner, kid-friendly stores, especially bookstores, and business condos.
April 5th, 344 Broadway, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m, 4th Floor Conf. Room

Human Service Issues
This group will tackle some of the trickiest issues for the Square and ways to address homelessness, public intoxication and drug enforcement, discourage unruly hangout locations, and discourace panhandling, improve the physical ambiance, and to increase police facilities.
April 6th, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., 344 Broadway, 4th Floor Conf. Room

Public Relations & Marketing
This group focuses on perceptions of Central Square, including a potential marketing and branding campaign, better communications, creating more positive press and a clear identity for the Square.
April 12th, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., 344 Broadway, 3rd Floor Conf. Room

Event Programming
A group that will discuss expanding Central Square's capacity to host events, that support save, vibrant, lively nightlife venues, including ideas to extend stores onto sidewalks, produce more outdoor entertainment, and to take a look at long-term planning operational support.
April 13th, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, 344 Broadway, 4th Floor Conf. Room

Street and Sidewalk Appearance and Cleanliness
This group will tackle another of Central Square's most stubborn problems related to its often dingy appearance. Some initial topics include more bike racks and moped parking, improved facades and window art, incorporating the backstreets of the Square into the retail environment, examining recycling and public toilet options, pedestrian safety, lighting, and benches, and improving snow removal.
April 15th, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., 344 Broadway, 4th Floor Conf. Room

For more info on the broader effort by the City, contact Estella Johnson, the Director of Economic Development, at estellaj@cambridgema.gov or at 617-349-4616.

Recession Got You Down?

2010-03-31T11:04:00.003-04:00

Rethinking your career path in light of the ongoing economic blues? How about a job in a new line of work that combines "a populist blend of satire, performance art, and adult entertainment"? This weekend the world of Burlesque descends on the Cambridgeport Hyatt, in the form of The Great Burlesque Exposition.

The Expo will feature dozens of classes (including some free drop-in classes), with fabulous titles such as Hula Hands and Flirting Eyes with Vivienne Vavoom" and "Planning a Comedy Striptease," as well as a costume exhibit and art show. The weekend promises to give us some fascinating people watching in the neighborhood.

Photo of noted 1930's Burlesque performer Ann Corio from the Expo website.

Public Meeting about Western Ave on Wednesday

2010-03-30T16:05:00.004-04:00

Per an email blast from the city:

Community-wide Public Meeting
Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 7:00 P. M. - 9:00 P. M.Cambridge Citywide Senior Center, 806 Mass Ave., Central Square (map). We are currently at the very beginning stages of design. The purpose of this initial community-wide meeting is to give residents an opportunity to learn about the scope of the project and provide initial input as to what they like and don’t like about Western Avenue, what works and what doesn’t work. If you cannot attend the meeting, be sure to fill out our quick survey to give us some feedback.

For more information about the project, please visit our website. On the website, you will find some great maps and other resources that help us better understand the corridor. Copies of the committee presentations and meeting notes are also available.

Community walks of Western Avenue corridor
These informal walks are led by city staff with occasional outside guests. The walks provide opportunities for neighbors to learn more about the project, and provide input to city staff. The walks are free and open to the public. Each walk will start near Central Square, go down Western Avenue to the Charles River, and back.

Project Overview walk: Monday April 5, 2010, 6:00pm – 7:30pm (meet at Andala Café, map): Led by Jeff Rosenblum, Project Manager for Western Ave. surface design, CDD.
Human Centered Design, Design for persons w/ Disabilities walk: Monday April 12, 2010, 6:00pm – 7:30pm (meet at Au Bon Pain, 684 Mass Ave, Central Square, map): Led by Chris Hart, Institute for Human Centered Design and Michael Muehe, Cambridge Commission for Persons with Disabilities
Traffic, Signals, and Stop Signs walk: Monday April 26, 2010, 6:00pm – 7:30pm (meet at Andala Café, map): Led by Jeff Parenti, City Traffic Engineer

All walks are on RAIN or SHINE.

Turkish Night on Saturday

2010-03-27T10:49:00.004-04:00

It's Turkish Night tonight down at the Morse School, a fundraiser for the CRLS students headed on a trip there. Food, music, and crafts...

DPW Comes Through

2010-03-17T09:10:00.002-04:00

Though one could find some humor in the Brookline Street sinkholes blogged about on Monday, the situation was probably more than a little dangerous for cars and pedestrians alike. DPW's reaction was commendable: warning signage and traffic barrels were put up during the rain Sunday. The water-filled holes were filled (again, in the rain) with gravel on Monday. By Tuesday, the two main sinkholes were asphalt patched and driver-ready. Nice work.

Now count me among those who are ready for Brookline Street to be resurfaced, the project completed and leaves to appear on all the new trees!

A Thought Exercise

2010-03-15T19:31:00.008-04:00

Start with a not-yet-completed street improvement project.

Add days of unrelenting, saturating rain, which causes sinkholes in the unfinished roadway. Fill the sinkholes with more rain, disguising the sinkholes as mere puddles.

Throw in some speeding cars that run into the sinkholes with a great deal of force, jarring anything not bolted to the car loose.

What do you get?

A) C-port's newest public art project;

B) a new mom-and-pop auto body shop; or

C) a severely value-engineered traffic calming installation for CDD

Walk for Haiti on March 27

2010-03-14T12:57:00.005-04:00

Not technically in Cambridgeport, but on a rainy weekend you can't help but daydream about springtime strolls on the Charles... especially those that also raise funds and awareness for an extremely worthy cause. The annual Walk for Haiti, organized by Partners in Health (PIH), is Saturday, March 27th. PIH is the Boston-based organization started by Dr. Paul Farmer (featured in Tracy Kidder's Mountains Beyond Mountains) that has worked for decades to bring health care to places the international community has forgotten, especially to Haiti--making this year an especially poignant year for the walk. From the website:

Now in its seventh year, the Walk has brought together students, activists, religious organizations, high schools, colleges, and others for a three-mile scenic walk around the Charles River and an afternoon of Haitian music, culture and crafts. All funds raised directly support the health initiatives of the world-renowned Dr. Paul Farmer in various sites throughout Haiti, specifically in Boucan Carré and Cange. Since its inception, the Walk has helped equip operating rooms, provide community health education and schooling (including scholarships for over 800 students), supply medicine, construct reliable shelter, improve and expand water/food programs and raise the standard of living for thousands of Haitians through PIH with nearly $250,000 in funds raised.

For more info, see the Walk's press release and website.

Image courtesy Walk for Haiti

Cambridge: Bad for Renters

2010-03-05T09:04:00.003-05:00

Not really news for those of us that have had the experience of scouring the city for a meager but pricey pad, but some entertaining Friday survey results, per the Chronicle:

Looks like Cambridge might not be the best place for apartment renters, according to ApartmentRatings.com, which released rankings of renter satisfaction for the largest college towns and college cities in the country.
At the bottom of the list, along with Cambridge, were West Lafayette, Ind., San Antonio, Texas, University Park, Pa., Northridge, Calif. and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Central Square Retail Tide Turning?

2010-03-02T09:08:00.002-05:00

Every few weeks in the past year, you notice another one. Another Central Square retailer, here one week, gone the next, replaced by brown packing paper blocking the windows and a phone number to inquire about leasing. The AT&T store on the corner of Mass Ave and Magazine St. A printer supply store. The Gap. The Attic. A florist. Pearl Art.

This week, some good news comes to us via Gus Rancatore of Toscanini's via his blog:

Flour Bakery, a South End favorite, is moving in next to Central Bottle (in itself a new success story).
Life Alive, an organic cafe in Lowell, is moving into the Hollywood Express space across from the Post Office.
"Revere's famous Cambodian restaurant" which Gus identifies as Floating Island (but I think he means Floating Rock) is moving into part of the old Gap space.

It's interesting (and wholly unsurprising) that many of the closed stores were national tenants with corporate decisionmakers far from Cambridge, and many of those filling the void are ventures with local or regional bases. Come out and support the new business--as well as some of our favorite, more established ones!

Image of Central Bottle, 196 Mass Ave, courtesy their website.

Western & River Bridges Meeting March 9th

2010-02-28T19:48:00.007-05:00

Following a meeting in Allston-Brighton last month, MassDOT comes to the Cambridgeport side of the Charles for a second meeting on the River/Western Bridges rehabilitation. If you have questions about the bridges project or the state's Accelerated Bridge Program, please come; this C-port meeting only came about because Rep. Marty Walz and others stuck up for our neighborhood.

Here's the announcement:

MassDOT will sponsor a Public Information Meeting for the River Street/Western Avenue Bridges Rehabilitation Project on Tuesday, March 9, 2010, from 6:30 – 8:30 PM, at the Morse Elementary School Auditorium, Cambridge, MA. The purpose of this meeting is to provide an overview of the proposed rehabilitation of the historic River Street and Western Avenue Bridges, introduce MassDOT’s design team, answer questions, and gather comments. If you have any questions on the meeting, please contact

Toni Whitmore Assistant Director of Community Affairs, MassDOT (617.973.8454).For news and updates, check MassDOT's website or Transportation Blog. For the tweaters among us: www.twitter.com/massdot.

Forest City Selling Stake in University Park

2010-02-25T20:57:00.004-05:00

From the Globe, a report that Ohio-based Forest City Enterprises is selling a stake in University Park in Cambridgeport. Because of the UP project, Forest City has been a major developer and owner in our community for almost 20 years. Their bringing in another investor (Health Care REIT, Inc) means little in the day-to-day effect on the neighborhood, but could be interesting for other neighborhoods in Boston. According to the article, Boston has been and will remain a core market for Forest City. Some other details from the article:

As part of the deal disclosed yesterday, Forest City will retain 51 percent ownership of seven buildings involved in yesterday's transaction. University Park is a 2.3 million square foot development near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Central Square. The complex includes 10 buildings for biotechnology research, 674 residences, a 210-room hotel, and several stores.

(h/t to rwinters.com; image of University Park courtesy Forest City)

CNA Board Election Results

2010-02-25T15:55:00.002-05:00

Congrats to incumbants Elizabeth Torrey, Drew Phelps, and Leslie Greis on their re-election and to Cathie Zusy, a new Board member (but who served previously in 2005).

Thanks to the neighbors who turned out for the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association annual meeting, and to the Board Members who put in extra time on behalf of all of us! (Special thanks to Bill August for the efforts he put into preparation for last night's meeting.)

Maher is Mayor

2010-02-23T21:00:00.004-05:00

Though I've enjoyed a month or two of ribbing, the City Council finally got around to selecting a Mayor from their ranks in David Maher. Henrietta Davis was selected as Vice-Chair.

Congrats to the new Mayor.

Image from the invaluable Cambridge Civic Journal.

Time to Vote for CNA Board of Directors!

2010-02-23T20:41:00.003-05:00

From Bill August, below are the self-submitted bios for the five candidates who have been nominated for the four open slots on the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association Board of Directors. Meeting info and the agenda are in the posts below.
_____________________________________________________

Bios are in alphabetical order of last name.

Jeffrey Beam
Born in Kentucky, but with Somerville and Wimington roots, Jeff Beam has been a Cambridgeport resident for two and a half years. During that time he has been a renter, an owner, a graduate student, and now a Boston commuter. He works as an affordable housing developer in Boston and is a licensed Architect. Most neighbors know him by the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Blog (http://c-portneighborhood.blogspot.com/), which he created in 2009 to help facilitate greater communication and understanding in C-port. Others know him by his dog, Gilbert, with whom he regularly patrols the neighborhood. He is looking forward to life's next big step: he and his wife Sara are expecting their first child in the late summer.

Leslie E. Greis
I live on Pleasant Street between Putnam and Allston and I’m running for reelection to the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association board -- and I’m writing for your vote. During my tenure as a director, I have helped the neighborhood and the Association in variety of ways, big and small. I have served as the unofficial liaison between the Association and the Police Department trying to forge better communication and to reduce crime in the neighborhood. Among other things, I organized a crime walk, printed and posted crime alerts and arranged several meetings with the police, including an early meeting with the Police Commissioner soon after he arrived in Cambridge. As time went on, my involvement shifted to housing and other issues. When the new Radisson owners had plans to erect a tall condo project attached to the hotel, our Association, with extra help from Bill August, pushed through zoning changes to constrain building along the river. As a director, I spoke at the city hearing against the development plan. I also help the Association in smaller ways by reserving meeting space, printing flyers for our meetings (before the city cracked down on flyers) and cleaning up after parties. Over time, I have talked with various city officials about a variety of issues and have attended park, tree, crime, zoning and other meetings.

My interest in serving on the board of the Association comes from a strong desire to see our neighborhood thrive. I would like to see an Association that is able to “get a seat at the table” when city issues affecting our neighborhood are decided. As a person who enjoys living here, I want the Association to pursue initiatives that provide needed services to our area and encourage cooperative attention from city representatives.

For those of you who don’t know me or haven’t bumped into me at the Y or around the neighborhood, I’ve lived in Cambridge 18 years of my life. Professionally, much of my last ten years has been spent as an investment consultant/advisor to non-profits of all kinds, first with a medium-sized firm and now with my own firm. I have also volunteered considerable time to various organizations having served on over 20 non-profit committees or boards. Also, driven by my interest in improving science education in the schools, I serve as a Trustee at the Museum of Science.

Thanks for letting me serve the past few years. I ask for your vote and for the privilege of serving as an officer of the Association for another term. I bring a commitment to the neighborhood, a sense of responsibility, experience in community issues and practical skills to the role.

Drew Phelps
Drew Phelps is the Command Center Director, overseeing all aspects of NWN’s 24x7 network operations center located in Waltham, MA. Mr. Phelps also serves as the Practice Manager for nCare, which includes all remote monitoring and IT support delivered by NWN in New England, Philadelphia, North Carolina, and Texas. Mr. Phelps has served on the NWN Corporation Board of Directors since 2001. He also serves on the Cambridge Montessori School Board of Trustees and the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association Board of Directors.

Mr. Phelps has over 10 years experience in information technology, operations, and customer support. He joined NWN in 2003 from yet2.com, an Intellectual Property (IP) broker and consultant, where he was the Director of Operations. At yet2.com, Mr. Phelps and his team increased the company’s annual introduction rate of IP buyers to sellers by over 5,000%. Prior to yet2.com, Mr. Phelps published business research at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). He was also the Manager of Information Systems for Logal Software, an Israeli-based educational software company. Mr. Phelps has a Bachelors degree in International Relations and French Literature from Tufts University where he captained the Soccer and Squash teams.

Elizabeth Torrey
Elizabeth Torrey has lived in Cambridgeport since 1985 and currently lives on Pearl Street with her family. Her daughters attended public school in Cambridge and Elizabeth was active in school issues during that time. She would like to be on the board of the CNA for a second term to continue working on the issues that were beginning to be addressed over the past two years such as preservation of open space along the river and working to improve conditions at the Magazine Beach pool. She is also interested in making sure that MIT listens to the concerns of the neighborhood as it continues to expand. In addition, Elizabeth would like the CNA to expand its outreach to all of the neighbors in Cambridgeport to bring a greater diversity into discussions of what is important to those who live here. Professionally, Elizabeth is a speech and language pathologist working with children age 3-6 at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown.

Cathie Zusy
Cathie Zusy, who’s lived in C-port about 14 years, would like to be back on the board of the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association. She was on the board for CNA in 2002 and 2003 and co-founded, with Cynthia Kamishlian, the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Group (the group that preceded it) in 1999. The CNG organized neighborhood crime walks, clean ups, meetings with members of the Cambridge Police Department and parties at Dana Park. For several years Cathie was on the Cambridge Police Department Leadership Task Force. For her contributions to the community she received an award from the Cambridge Police Department in 2000. More recently, Cathie has organized a number of street parties on Hamilton Street, a spaghetti dinner for local Scout Troop 56, and, just this past October, “If This House Could Talk…,” a history-awareness-raising-event for the neighborhood. A museum curator and educator by training, Cathie is eager to work with neighbors to 1) think about what it is about our neighborhood (e.g., buildings and open space) that make it special and then work to preserve these things; 2) study Magazine Street churches, to better understand the health of these buildings and communities; 3) create a stronger sense of community.

Zusy lives on Hamilton Street with her husband Sam and son Ben.
____________________________________________

(Yes, full disclosure, that first one is me...) See everyone at the meeting Wednesday night!

Seriously. Come to the Annual Meeting.

2010-02-22T11:33:00.004-05:00

From Bill August [links added]:

Agenda for February 24, 2010
Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association Annual Meeting

> Election of directors for four expiring seats on Board of Directors

Other Agenda subjects/speakers include:

Western Avenue Reconstruction (potentially very important to whole area), Jeff Rosenblum, Community Development Dept. discussing community interests and community input in planning process;
Cambridge Community Television community media services, Nilagia McCoy, CCTV 3. Elaine Thorne, Aging in Cambridge (discussion of various senior issues City is working on)
Charles River Long Term Vision and Plan/City representatives seek community input regarding important city planning study.
Open Agenda for discussion of any new or old business.

We now have formal confirmation that the location of the Wednesday, February 24, 7 p.m. Annual Meeting has been confirmed, and will be at the community room at Woodrow Wilson Court, entrance on Fairmont Street, between Magazine & Pleasant St.

To the many who have worked with the neighborhood association on so many issues that have made a difference to Cambridgeport, we thank you but urge you the Neighborhood Association needs a good turnout for Annual Meetings, and to continue to accomplish so much for the neighborhood. Only through your participation has the the neighborhood association been on the City's radar screen, enabling the neighborhood association to accomplish some good things:

a long list of significant repairs at MDC pool;
the petition that brought about the Dana Park upgrade;
increased police presence on several occasions;
close contact with police on behalf of community requests;
successfully amending the zoning ordinance to preserve certain open spaces along the Charles River within Cport;
incubating other community projects (earliest organizational support for GreenPort);
providing large and audible forums when development issues come up, like Blessed Sacrament, Urban Ring and many more;
and much more

Anyhoo, we have an Annual Meeting with elections coming up (and a great agenda), but I fear we need more attendance and participation to keep the neighborhood association vibrant and effective, so this is a longwinded reminder we once again welcome and need all your attendance at this upcoming Feb. 24, 7 p.m. and/or other community meetings.

And it's a fun way to learn a lot about so many on-going Cambridge (city of international significance) issues.

-Bill August

Be there.

2010-02-21T18:03:00.001-05:00

CAMBRIDGEPORT
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL MEETING

Board Elections & great agenda with speakers about Charles River and Western Ave improvements, CCTV community media services, senior services/aging in Cambridge & more

******WE NEED YOU******
GET INVOLVED HELPING YOUR CAMBRIDGEPORT COMMUNITY
**************************
FEBRUARY 24, 2010
Wednesday,7 PM
At 8 WOODROW WILSON COURT
(regular and handicap entrance on Fairmont Street, between Magazine & Pleasant Streets, and meeting is in community room )
For more info email

Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association c/o billaugustUSA@aol.com

BU Bridge Closed Next Week

2010-02-18T16:38:00.005-05:00

Passing along this announcement from MassDOT (h/t to Councilor Henrietta Davis):

Evening/Overnight Bridge Closure: Boston University Bridge
On Sunday, February 21, 2010 through Thursday, March 4, 2010 the Boston University Bridge, which carries traffic over the Charles River between Cambridge and Boston, will be closed to traffic from 9 PM to 5 AM each week (Sunday to Thursday.) The upstream sidewalk will remain open during the bridge closure for bicycle and pedestrian access. Drivers are encouraged to plan ahead and seek alternative routes during the closures. MassDOT crews will be completing demolition work as part of the first phase of construction on the Boston University Bridge Rehabilitation Project. All Cambridge-to-Boston traffic and Boston-to-Cambridge traffic will be detoured to the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge. Buses and emergency vehicles will be permitted to cross the bridge.
For transportation news and updates visit the MassDOT website at www.mass.gov/massdot, the MassDOT blog at www.mass.gov/blog/transportation or
follow MassDOT on twitter at www.twitter.com/massdot.

BZA Cries Fowl

2010-02-16T14:40:00.004-05:00

The Chronicle reports on the reaction to the Board of Zoning Appeals ruling last week denying the C-port residents' appeal of a fine for keeping chickens at their Putnam Street home.

[O]n Thursday the board voted 4-1 against the appeal filed in response to a citation issued by the Inspectional Services Department against a Putnam Avenue residence in October, claiming that growing livestock/fowl is not permitted in Cambridge and is not considered an "accessory use" under the city's zoning ordinance.

“Cambridge has evolved,” said zoning board chairman Constantine Alexander. “It’s now an urban environment. I can’t be convinced that this is customarily incidental to the principal use of the land.”

Reactions, support and criticism throughout the neighborhood is mentioned in the story.

DOT's Western & River Bridge Proposal

2010-02-14T17:59:00.008-05:00

As mentioned here before, there's a significant amount of reconstruction in planning for Cambridgeport infrastructure. The city (with citizen help) is scheming to reconstruct Western Avenue. At the same time, Mass DOT is planning the reconstruction of the River Street and Western Avenue bridges. Thanks to Rep. Marty Walz, we'll soon have a public meeting in Cambridgeport to hear about the DOT plans and ask questions. (The meeting details will be posted here, but interested readers can also keep an eye out for an announcement on the Mass DOT calendar.)

In the meantime, I wanted to pass along two documents to help get the neighborhood thinking about what's involved in the reconstruction. First, Livable Streets (a great org based on Sidney Street) put together a flyer with a list of topics that will be useful for the neighborhood to consider in the upcoming discussion. Second, I've inserted the presentation DOT gave on the Allston-Brighton side of the bridge earlier this month. The original can be accessed via the link below.

RiverSt WesternAve Pres 020310

Snowed In

2010-02-10T09:09:00.003-05:00

Here's an idea: let's make good use of today's snow emergency and get all the City Councilors in a room for its duration. They can use the downtime to, you know, pick a Mayor, now that they "have a plan"?

But seriously, move your car off of any snow emergency route before the City's noon deadline today.

The Bridge to Nowhere

2010-02-07T17:24:00.004-05:00

Some feel that Mass DOT is overlooking Cambridgeport's interests and opinions in the rehabilitation of the Western and River bridges.

While the City of Cambridge is doing some significant outreach on the future reconstruction of Western Ave, Mass DOT is holding public meetings of their own regarding the parallel effort to complete significant infrastructure work on the Western Ave and River Street bridges. Many in Cambridgeport, however, feel the discussion on the bridges is one-sided. As in, there's not enough outreach on the Cambridge side of the bridges.

One of these observers is State Representative Marty Walz, who sent an email on the day of the scheduled meeting:

I am writing to let you know that I have been in touch with the state Department of Transportation about holding a meeting in Cambridge about the River Street Bridge and Western Avenue Bridge projects. DOT is of the view that a meeting in Allston Brighton is sufficient outreach to Cambridge residents. I have made it clear that this is unacceptable and that meetings must be held at times and places that are convenient to Cambridge residents. Representative Alice Wolf has made the same point on behalf of her constituents. I will continue to work with DOT to ensure that you and your neighbors are properly included in the community outreach process.

Here's hoping the rehabilitation of the bridges can tie pretty seemlessly into the larger Western Ave reconstruction. If and when a meeting is scheduled on the bridges for our side of the Charles, I'll pass along that info. Thanks to Rep. Walz for keeping the neighborhood in the loop.

Central Square: Phoenix Rising, Pearl Shutting

2010-02-06T13:33:00.004-05:00

Not really news to those who frequent Mass Ave shops, but CentralSquare.com notes two changes to longtime establishments:

First, Cambridge’s Pearl Art & Craft Supplies to close, and the place has been a zoo for a few weeks as art students clear the shelves with severe discounts. Pearl has been there 20 years, but is one of 10 "underperforming" stores owned by the Florida arts supply company. Artist & Craftsman and Utrect are still available for those in dire need of a new tube of yellow ochre.

Second, more positively, Phoenix Landing has finished their renovations and CS.com posted some photos (including the one above). This is part of an ongoing effort to spruce up the place, long known as a haven for English football (soccer) fans and, at night, dancing.

Good Grief.

2010-02-02T13:54:00.003-05:00

Via the Chronicle: After fifth try, councilors fail to select Cambridge mayor

City Councilors agreed Monday night that voting for the next mayor of Cambridge can be "messy." And after completing the fourth and fifth round of voting, no one has been chosen to fill the seat just yet.
Councilor David Maher still leads the pack with four votes — one from himself and three more from Councilors Leland Cheung, Sam Seidel and Tim Toomey. Councilor Henrietta Davis inched closer to the top with three votes - one from herself, and two more Denise Simmons and Craig Kelley, who switched his vote from Ken Reeves. Reeves, whose seniority on the Council allows him to serve as interim mayor for the time being, earned a total of two votes.

Councilors will have a chance to vote again during their next meeting on Feb. 8.

For round-by-round recaps, go here, here and here. For another viewpoint, you can read former Council candidate Minka vanBeuzekom's advice to blow up the mayoral selection process in her open letter to the Chronicle.

Nominate Someone for the CNA Board!

2010-02-02T13:32:00.003-05:00

The deadline for nominations to the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association Board of Directors is on Wednesday, February 10th, two weeks prior to the CNA annual meeting on the 24th. Please consider tossing your hat in the ring, or nominating a motivated neighbor!

Some of the initial, potential nominees include Leslie Greis, Cathie Zusy, Elizabeth Torrey, Drew Phelps and myself (Jeff Beam). Here are the rest of the details:

The CNA annual meeting and election for four expiring Board of Directors seats will be Feb. 24, 7 pm at usual meeting place at community room of Woodrow Wilson Court, on Fairmont St., off of Magazine St. Anyone interested in being on the Board must be nominated and seconded by Feb. 10 (14 days prior to Feb. 24). Nominations and seconds of nominations can be sent to billaugustUSA@aol.com

Also on the agenda for the annual meeting:

A presentation on aging in Cambridge and senior citizen issues, by Elaine Thorne of Cambridge CDD
Invited speakers regarding City planning pertaining to Charles River preservation and enhancements
Cambridge Community TV will send a representative to discuss CCTV's community and neighborhood media services. Very important agenda item:
Jeff Rosenblum on Western Ave reconstruction, which can mightily impact the whole look and feel of the neighborhood

Lastly, an appeal in the name of fun from Bill August: "Any ideas for fun Annual Meeting stuff, we could use it (music, food, awards--annual meetings are supposed to be fun)!"

Town-Gown Presentations on Tuesday

2010-01-31T16:45:00.006-05:00

This year's Town-Gown presentations regarding Cambridge College, Harvard, MIT and Lesley University will be this Tuesday. We took a closer look at C-port neighbor MIT's report in this post, and the full report can be viewed there (or, as always, in the Neighborhood Resources link at the top right of the blog). The other reports can be viewed in the announcement below.

The details, per the city announcement:

The City of Cambridge Annual Town Gown Presentation to the Cambridge Planning Board will be held at the Cambridge Citywide Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Avenue on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 7:30pm. The meeting will also include an opportunity for public comment. The 2009 Town Gown Reports can be viewed on the Community Development Website. These reports describe current activities of the institutions, including data about student population, institutional housing and future development plans.

For more information about the Town Gown reports and presentations, please contact Clifford Cook at 617-349-4656 or ccook@cambridgema.gov.

C-port Scene: Cold Reception

2010-01-29T08:47:00.004-05:00

After a week's respite from below-freezing temps, this morning the winter freeze returned in force. Some solace can be found in some of the beautiful sites around the neighborhood when winter strikes. Today's entry in the C-port Scene series comes from Flickr user Craig Stevens (used under Creative Commons), and captures the view from Memorial Drive across the river during a similar stretch of cold last winter. Bundle up for the below-zero wind chill out there.

Contribute your photos to the series! Upload them to Flickr and tag them "Cambridgeport," and be sure you've granted permission under Creative Commons.

Four Weeks of Anarchy

2010-01-26T08:56:00.005-05:00

So the first time, it was an interesting insight into our fair city's quirky mayoral election process. A week later, we had to stifle a laugh. But seriously? We're going into February without a Mayor?

Per the Chronicle, "councilors stuck to the same votes they cast the last time around. Councilor David Maher lead the pack with four votes, followed by Ken Reeves with three votes and two for Henrietta Davis. A city councilor requires at least five votes from fellow councilors to become the mayor."

This may indicate one of two things:

We should not be generally encouraged that leadership will emerge from the current Council that will be able to wrangle votes on actual issues.
Between the City Manager and the Council, there is little reason to keep the Mayoral position around

Maybe if Marjorie Decker moves on to Gallucio's Senate seat they can break the stalemate?

Photo by Colleen Bryant, courtesy of City of Cambridge website

Climate Change at Central Square Library

2010-01-25T09:01:00.004-05:00

From the folks at Cambridge-Somerville for Change:

Cambridge-Somerville for Change’s Energy and Climate Team and Green Decade Cambridge will host "Copenhagen and Beyond," a forum on Jan 26th, 7:00pm at Cambridge Central Square Library, 45 Pearl Street to discuss the recent U.N. Climate Conference in Copenhagen. Key speaker Cambridge City Councillor Henrietta Davis, one of the National League of Cities’ two official representatives, will highlight her experiences at the conference and discuss what our cities can be doing to stop the coming climate emergency. Kate Anderson, Senior Policy Advisor to Senator Kerry, will also discuss the Senator’s proposals on energy and climate change.

RSVP by following this link.

Be Careful Out There

2010-01-25T08:47:00.003-05:00

Following the recent lewd acts and assaults around the Central Square T, the Chronicle brings news of another alarming attack last Wednesday near Pleasant and Western in Riverside.

At 12:19 a.m., officers responded to a report of an armed robbery on Western Avenue by Pleasant Street. They found a 39-year-old Cambridge victim with a head wound and blood covering the right side of his face and head and soaking through his clothes and sneakers.
The victim told police he was walking on Western Avenue from Central Square when a car pulled over in front of him as if to park. Three men got out on the sidewalk in front of him.

Vote!

2010-01-19T10:35:00.005-05:00

Some simple math: depending how you see it, today's Special Election comes down to one of two equations: 60>59, or 41>40. Both have a big impact. So don't forget to vote. See the Election Commission's website for voter info.

He is watching.

Anarchy, continued.

2010-01-12T13:26:00.002-05:00

This does not bode well for the Republic.

City Council, after failing to elect a Mayor from among their ranks last week, resumed the deliberation at last night's meeting where they, um... failed again. This is all pretty hilarious to many of us, but honestly, what if there's an emergency intersection honorary square-naming in the next week?

Kidding aside, David Maher will likely seal the deal at the January 25th meeting.

Neighborhood Association Annual Meeting

2010-01-10T22:50:00.003-05:00

Bill August passes along notice of next month's CNA annual meeting and Board of Directors election:

Happy New Year and happy New Decade! The Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association annual meeting and election for four expiring Board of Directors seats will be Feb. 24, 7 pm at usual meeting place at community room of Woodrow Wilson Court, on Fairmont St., off of Magazine St.

Please feel free to run for Board of Directors position, or to nominate someone who is interested. Anyone interested in being on the Board must be nominated and seconded by Feb. 10 (14 days prior to Feb. 24). Nominations and seconds of nominations can be sent to billaugustUSA@aol.com

The agenda on Feb 24 will also include presentations on aging in Cambridge and senior citizen issues by Elaine Thorne of Cambridge Community Development Dept.; and we have invited speakers regarding City planning pertaining to Charles River preservation and enhancements. Cambridge Community TV has also expressed interested in sending a representative to discuss CCTV's community and neighborhood media services.

Marty Walz's "Anti-Shadow" Bill

2010-01-06T23:11:00.008-05:00

A bill authored by State Rep Marty Walz (along with Rep. Byron Rushing and State Senator Anthony Petruccelli) slowly moves toward passage in the State House. It is known formally as H. 853: A Bill to Protect Certain Parks, but sometimes just called the "Anti-Shadow" bill.

The draft legislation proposes that "no permit granting authority shall take any action which would authorize the construction of any structure which would cast a new shadow on the Charles River Esplanade, Christopher Columbus Park, Commonwealth Avenue Mall, Copley Square Park, Magazine Beach Park, or Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway," though some of the specific locations are still evolving. Proposed nearly a year ago, a recent public hearing has stirred the news.

Though Walz is a primary proponent and C-port contains significant frontage on Magazine Beach, the legislation's impact on our neighborhood would be minor compared to other parks. Most of Mag Beach lies to the south of C-port's buildings (and future buildings), so shadows are primarily cast away from the park. Memorial Drive further buffers the park. The CNA Board of Directors has drafted a letter of support for the bill, saying in part:

Cambridgeport residents have been very upset by the construction of tall towers adjacent to green, open parklands, which interferes with the enjoyable use of scarce open space for the benefit of a handful of property owners willing to sacrifice the beneficial and historic use of parks for their own adjacent development plans.

The bill would have significantly greater effect on potential development near some of the other proposed parks. It's hard to imagine development of any kind occurring in the financial district that doesn't cast a shadow on some urban parks, which is why the Rose Kennedy Greenway was recently exempted from the proposed legislation. Some in the Boston development and design community have expressed serious concerns about the bill's effect as a de facto building moratorium. Preservation advocates in Back Bay and the North End have expressed support. Walz herself wrote in the Boston Courant to describe her and Rushing's motivation for the bill.

A public hearing on the bill was held on December 15th, but those wishing to comment can still send emails to the Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee Co-Chairs Anthony.Petruccelli@state.ma.us and Rep.WilliamStraus@Hou.State.MA.US (cc: Rep.MartyWalz@Hou.State.MA.US and Rep.ByronRushing@hou.state.ma.us).

Photo by Flickr user cosmocatalano. Used under Creative Commons.

What Central Square Needs

2010-01-05T17:30:00.005-05:00

The City asked, and people responded: What does Central Square need to fulfill its potential as the lively, transit-oriented center of a diverse community?

Results came in two forms. One was through the "Envisioning Central Square" forum hosted by Councilors Denise Simmons and Sam Seidel in December. The comments, as reported in the Chronicle, were predictable, "the most prominent of which showed that many Central Square patrons want more shopping options, more upkeep and cleanliness and less public drinking, loitering and homeless people on the streets." In fact, homelessness dominated the conversation as any Central Square conversation must. The Chronicle's writeup includes some interesting contributions from Len Thomas of the Cambridge Multi-Service Center and Superintendent Steven Williams on CPD's Homeless Outreach Program.

The other results came (in more detail, but less frankness) in the CDD-produced summary report for the Central Square Intercept Survey, which nonetheless contains some interesting data about the public's desired retail options (hint: people want The Gap back...)
ed_survey_central

Thanks to neighbor Carolyn Shipley for the links!

Photo by Flickr user zudark. Used with Creative Commons license.

Anarchy Reigns: Cambridge Goes Mayor-less

2010-01-04T14:45:00.003-05:00

Well, not exactly.

The city's quirky mayoral selection process failed to resolve itself in today's City Council meeting, and so we must wait until next week's meeting to identify the new Mayor. From the Chronicle's update:

It was up to the nine newly sworn-in city councilors to elect the mayor, but their votes were too split to reach a decision. David Maher lead with three votes; Marjorie Decker and Kenneth Reeves received two votes each; and Henrietta Davis got one vote (her own.) Former Mayor Denise Simmons’ own vote was also the only one Simmons received.

Help Plan the Western Ave Reconstruction

2010-01-03T18:36:00.005-05:00

A little late on this, but many in C-port will be interested in the planned reconstruction of Western Ave in neighboring Riverside beginning summer 2011. Having experienced the Brookline reconstruction over the past year, I can vouch that it's no fun during (especially at 7am), but completely worthwhile in the end. The city is seeking community involvement in the planning of the new streetscape.

Per the Community Development Department announcement:

Western Avenue is scheduled to be fully reconstructed. The underground stormwater system, utilities, the roadway and the sidewalks will all need to be replaced. The redesign will consider all users of the street: walkers, bicyclists, bus riders and drivers. The redesign process is about to begin and will consider traffic patterns, lighting, trees, green space and environmentally friendly features.

For those interested in getting informed or involved, take the city's survey, send a letter of interest this week to join the project's Citizen Advisory Committee, or contact jrosenblum@cambridgema.gov in the CDD.

Christmas Tree Collection 12/28 - 01/08

2009-12-30T08:54:00.004-05:00

The 12-day window to recycle Christmas trees began yesterday. See details from the City's announcement:

Curbside collection of bare Christmas trees will be Dec 28-Jan 8. Decorations and stands must be removed and trees should not be in a plastic bag. Weather permitting, trees collected during this time don't get buried or burned. Last year, residents recycled over 4,700 trees. The chipped trees were used as mulch in natural areas in Cambridge. For more information, visit the DPW Yard Waste page.

The 5 MW Gorilla

2009-12-29T08:53:00.007-05:00

It's easy to forget that among the historic clapboard houses, the riverside parks and narrow streets that C-port also is home to the 4th oldest operating nuclear reactor in the U.S. A reactor that is over 50 years old and generates over 5 MW of power. A reactor that is becoming a political liability to the federal government, as detailed in today's Globe.

The problem has less to do with saftey concerns from internal problems or outside threat, and more to do with the fact that the plant's mere existence is seen by many to undermine global non-proliferation efforts. From the article:

The US government has spent millions of dollars in recent years helping other nations convert their civilian reactors from using highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium, a suitable alternative for generating nuclear power that cannot be used to make an atomic bomb. And President Obama is expected to seek further commitments next year from foreign nations to phase out highly enriched uranium from civilian reactors.
But while the Department of Energy set a goal of 2014 to switch the MIT reactor to the lower-grade fuel, that commitment is not likely to be met, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, largely because the MIT facility needs a special kind of new fuel to maintain its uniquely high density core - fuel that will take years to develop and certify before it can be manufactured in sufficient quantities.

Photo by Flickr user Mr_H. Used under Creative Commons license.

Cheung Featured in Globe

2009-12-28T09:18:00.004-05:00

City Councilman and C-port resident Leland Cheung was featured in the Globe today as part of the wave of press (and blogging) that followed his election and upcoming inauguration to the Council. The article delves into the rising visibility of Asian-Americans in city politics, paralleling Cheung's candidacy with Sam Yoon's career across the Charles.

Cheung - who is working on a business degree at MIT and a policy degree at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government - jumped into the campaign. Using social networking websites and old-fashioned campaigning, he
successfully rallied students, the Asian community, and anyone who would listen around his campaign themes of job creation and bridging the gap between students and residents.
It worked.
“There’s a substantial Asian-American population in Cambridge, without regard to students,’’ said former mayor Frank Duehay, who served 14 terms on the council. “He figured out how to bring his campaign to students and the Asian-Americans who live in Cambridge. He obviously was effective.’’
Image from Rui Luo of The Tech.

MIT Town/Gown Report Released

2009-12-16T10:22:00.008-05:00

MIT has just released the 2009 Town/Gown Report, which quantifies the Institute's impact on C-port and the city, and publicizes future plans for development. It's an interesting read for those curious about MIT's ever-important role in our neigbhorhood (it's also an excuse for me to try out the PDF portal in the blog). The map on page 29 is helpful for those of us who are always curious about what properties the Institute owns (and does not own).

Some of the highlights...

Impact on the city:

MIT owns 5.1 million square feet of taxable commercial space and 175 taxable residential units in Cambridge (compared to about 11 million non-taxable square feet of space in academic, dormitory and student activities buildings)
MIT taxable properties generate $31.2 million in Real Estate Taxes for the City, with an additional $7.4 million in other contributions, fees, etc. This makes up about 12% of the City's annual budget
There are about 1700 students residing off-campus in non-MIT (private) housing, a number that has decreased as about 200 additional students have been accommodated in "Institute-approved" (dorms, fraternities, etc) in the past year

Recent and Future Development:

350 additional bike parking spaces have been added, as well as bike "repair stations" with air and minor tools--one at the student center across from Lobby 7 on Mass Ave
MIT and the CSX railroad company are working on creating a safe pedestrian crossing of the railroad tracks at Pacific Street, creating a better connection between C-port and the western half of campus
The cluster of parking lots at the western end of campus (near Ft Washington) are being viewed increasingly as an opportunity to develop new buildings to house administrative uses (that don't need to be as close to the heart of the academic campus). The potential future Urban Ring stop would make this an even more attractive option for the Institute to create transit-oriented development focused on office uses
Though there are no immediate plans, the Institute is studying the parking lots along Mass Ave, Albany Street and Vassar Street for development, including the necessary active ground floor uses that would need to be incorporated into future buildings
As mentioned here before, MIT is permitting a few projects in anticipation of an rebound in the commercial real estate market, and hopes to start (re)development work when primary tenants are identified. These include 130 Brookline Street and 640 Memorial Drive.

See the full report below...

towngown2009

MIT Dorm Achieves LEED-Gold Sustainability Benchmark

2009-12-10T09:01:00.003-05:00

A new MIT dorm on Pacific Street on C-port's east side officially received Gold-level designation under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system. The architect of the "new" Ashdown House was William Rawn Associates, who has been feeling a lot of Cambridge love from another recent project, the Cambridge Main Library addition.

Details on the building's green strategies, from the Chronicle:

Ashdown House, a graduate residence that houses more than 400 students and includes a full dining area, earned its Gold rating for a variety of green features: The building’s landscaping and irrigation systems use water from a non-potable source; a storm-water management system significantly reduces storm-water runoff; maximized daylight is available in 95 percent of regularly occupied spaces; and low-flow fixtures reduce water use by more than 20 percent. What’s more, care was taken to make the construction of Ashdown House as low-impact as possible: More than 10 percent of its materials included recycled content; more than 75 percent of the waste from the construction was recycled; and the building uses low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) -emitting paints, sealants and carpets.

Photo courtesy MIT.

C-Port Scene: Wintry Mix Edition

2009-12-09T09:44:00.004-05:00

The weather of the past week has certainly not been pretty, but it's a precursor to those moments when C-Port is at its most beautiful: the fleeting hours after a fresh snowfall, and before we get all angst-y about plowing and shoveling and parking.

This edition of the C-Port Scene series was captured by Flickr user Night Owl City over in University Park, where snow from a few years ago transformed the way we see the Simplex Wire & Cable Co. wire spool and the landscape elements.

Have interesting photos to share from the neighborhood? Make them part of this series! Upload the images to Flickr and tag them "Cambridgeport."

The C-port Commercial Real Estate Forecast

2009-12-04T13:21:00.003-05:00

In last week's Banker & Tradesman, there was an interesting (and welcome) forecast for the Cambridge Commercial Real Estate market, with regard to life sciences firms. The full article is available to subsribers only, but here's the preview:

Cambridge's life sciences market appears poised to rebound long before the rest of the region's commercial real estate market, thanks to tight constraints on space, healthy demand from small users, and a bit of fortuitous timing.

The article focuses mostly on Cambridge's relative strength in the steady market for smaller, non-blockbuster life sciences spaces, which don't draw a lot of attention, but have mostly avoided the serious commercial real estate downturn, and are better poised for recovery. This is especially relevant for C-port, which has a significant chunk of this kind of commercial space, much of it currently vacant. Additionally, at least two significant redevelopment projects await the rebound of the market in MIT's 130 Brookline Street and 640 Memorial Drive.

So What's the Deal with Blessed Sacrament?

2009-12-01T22:01:00.008-05:00

The city Planning Board held a public discussion on Tuesday to review design changes for the Blessed Sacrament condo development (aka Dana Park Place). The good news? Many of the objectionable changes to the project were pledged to be undone. That said, the final development will have some compromised features from the original proposal. The process of how the project got to this point is a revealing story about historic rehab projects in Cambridge.

The proponant, developer Paul Ognibene (and his counsel and architect) revisited the recent history of the project that lies right at the center of C-port: After the Archdiocese closed the parish, it was sold to Ognibene in 2005, and he went forward with plans to develop 49 condominium units under the development entity of Urban Spaces LLC. Neighbors objected to the size of the project, organizing themselves as the Neighbors & Abutters of Blessed Sacrament (NABS). The neighbors filed suit and the project was delayed until a settlement was reached in June 2006. Among the terms of the settlement, Ognibene agreed to lowering the number of units in the church and school to 43.

To this point, most of the project has been completed. Of the original four-building campus, the Erie Street convent was demolished and the rectory was restored as a two-family condo. The school portion opened as a 23-unit condo building last year, and despite suffering the worst of the market collapse, its pricing has held up and 17 units have been sold. Work resumed on the church portion of the project this summer, but observers soon began noticing troubling aspects of the construction: poor brickwork, extensive demolition around openings, and tall concrete block walls in the front portico. Inquiries led to the project coming back in front of the Planning Board--a strange step for a project mostly through construction.

It was obvious that the project changed substantially since the Board-approved version, but the changes were documented in the project's Permit documents, which were approved by the city's Inspectional Services Department. Most of the changes were triggered by changing the height of the underground garage's second level by 18" to meet previously unrecognized code requirements--a condition that some on the Board felt was foreseeable and avoidable. The development team countered that conditions in the foundation of the church, designed in 1907, were unknown and had to be resolved as they were uncovered.

This change in floor height rippled through the design, causing the architect, Khalsa Design, to make numerous unfortuante adjustments in the permit documents: existing masonry details were removed or altered, the "planters" between the columns grew taller, window openings now crashed into the building's ornate, classical cornice.

Fortunately, several folks from the city, including Charlie Sullivan of the Cambridge Historical Commission (CHC), have been working with Ognibene to mitigate the impact of the changes, and Ognibene's team came to the meeting with seven modifications to be made to the project:

The planter walls (currently the concrete block backup is installed between the columns in the portico) will be lowered in height to the original proposal, near the top of the front portion of wall today. A more transparent railing will take the place of the removed wall. City planners, as well as a few Board members, also voiced concern over the planters being too far forward, burying the profile of the original columns. CHC will continue to work with the developer to resolve.
The Pearl Street entrance through the original portico, already elevated significantly from the sidewalk, will be raised approximately another eight steps to accommodate the new floor heights. This modification is much worse than the original proposal (and existing building), but unavoidable. CHC will work with the developer to simplify the stair railings and conform to code.
The fifth floor windows have been redesigned to not interfere with the existing building's cornice.
The third floor windows (the top, arched portion of the original nave windows) have been redesigned on both the north and south facades.
Proposed decorative grating will be removed from the Pearl Street facade to reveal more of the original brick detailing.
The buildings new main entrance, off McTernan Street, has been altered from the Planning Board submission to better respond to the language of the existing building's punched openings. CHC will review the quality of the brick infill currently in place and necessary repairs. Ognibene called the shoddy work "a thorn in my side, as a developer."
Windows on the south facade will be shifted up 17", with window glazing to remain the same size, and a planned Juliette balcony will be removed (ostensibly for neighbors' privacy).

Several of these modifications will be helpful in preserving the building's architectural integrity. The fact that the developer was able to get permit drawings approved that undermined the Board-approved design is unsettling and raises some questions about the approvals process. On the other hand, that the city responded to neighbor and staffers' concerns and is pushing the development to take corrective action is significant. The onus is on the city and the neighborhood to see that there is follow-through.

Meetings, Meetings, Meetings

2009-11-30T21:46:00.005-05:00

A topic for every interested C-porter:

Tuesday, 12/1: Planning Board Meeting, including a "design review of a limited number of façade changes for the church structure phase" of the Blessed Sacrament condo conversion (aka "Dana Park Place"); 7:30pm, City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway, 2nd floor meeting room
Wednesday, 12/2: C-port Neighborhood Association meeting, with an agenda that includes a year end review/visions for next year, the city arborist discussing neighborhood street trees, Housing Authority initiatives, the Police Review Committee on policing policy; 7:00pm, Woodrow Wilson Court, Fairmont Street entrance (via ramp to basement level community room)
Tuesday, 12/8: City Council Housing Committee meeting to review the significant ongoing and planned initiatives by the Cambridge Housing Authority; 5:00pm, Sullivan Chamber, City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue
Wednesday, 12/9: City Council Hearing on the Stretch Energy Code, which is contemplated as an option for municipalities to increase energy conservation & energy efficiency beyond statewide code minimums; 5:00pm, Sullivan Chamber, City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue
Wednesday, 12/16: "Envisioning Central Square," a public forum being orgainized by Mayor Simmons and Vice Mayor Seidel; 6:00pm, City Hall; contact Jeff Walker, Mayor Simmons' Chief of Staff, at JWalker@Cambridgema.gov for more info

CHA's Busy Winter

2009-11-29T20:43:00.006-05:00

C-port contains a significant portion of CHA's housing portfolio, including Family Housing at the recently modernized River Howard Homes and Woodrow Wilson Court and Senior apartment buildings like the LB Johnson Apartments and Manning Apartments (adjacent to the Central Square Library). CHA's plans for future development and modernization, as well as property management, have a significant impact in the neighborhood, for CHA property residents, employees, and neighbors.

With that in mind, here are a number of notes about the active Cambridge Housing Authority, including a meeting notice to discuss more:

CHA's groundbreaking Work Force program, a "comprehensive life skills and vocational training program for low-income youth" was featured in Sunday's Globe:

[T]he agency’s unusual role as academic adviser as well as landlord appears to be catching on across the state, with Patrick administration officials encouraging public housing managers to go beyond providing tenants with clean, affordable homes and begin promoting their children’s academic progress... The move is in recognition of a growing body of research indicating that schools alone cannot bolster the achievement of the state’s poorest students.
Councillor Craig Kelley passed along a note that the Council's Housing Committee will meet Tuesday, 12/8, "regarding the Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA), including multi-million dollar renovation of CHA sites, vacancy on CHA Board, potential changing of status of CHA units from being state-funded to being federally funded and any other issues regarding the CHA that may properly come before the committee."

Wilson Court and Manning Apartments, both state projects, are among the 12 proposed properties for conversion to Federal Public Housing.

Giving Thanks and Giving Back

2009-11-22T17:37:00.003-05:00

This week, as temperatures continue their annual plunge -- highs in the mid-40's this Thanksgiving weekend -- and many of us gather around the table with family and friends, we give thanks not just for our own good fortune, but for our C-Port neighbors who extend their reach to the less fortunate. The increasingly active CentralSquare.com blog notifies us of these efforts:

First, for the third time, Central Square's Tavern in the Square will host a free Thanksgiving Dinner "open to all," consisting of all the traditional favorites plus pie and coffee. The dinner focuses on "the elderly, the homeless and, families that may be struggling in these difficult times." Doors open at 11 AM, dinner will be served from 11:30-2. If you would be interested in volunteering for the day, please call 617-868-8800 and ask for a manager.

And from now until December 18th, the YWCA & YMCA of Cambridge are running a "Sharing Food For the Holidays" food drive for the 108 women, 129 men, and 29 families they will house during the holiday season. Food Drive Drop Boxes are located at the YWCA lobby, 7 Temple Street, and the YMCA lobby, 820 Mass Ave. If you would like to donate any non-perishable bulk items please contact Sharon Columbo, YWCA Tanner Residence, 617-491-6055 x228.

C-Port Neighborhood Association Meeting 12/2

2009-11-22T17:26:00.002-05:00

From the neighborhood listserv:

CNA will be holding its next community meeting (all are welcome esp. those who bring cookies) on December 2, 2009, 7 p.m. at the Woodrow Wilson Court, Fairmont Street entrance (basement-level community room)
Agenda so far:
Year end review of neighborhood association and forward looking plans/visions for next year, so this presents opportunity to help shape CNA future work;
[Potential] discussion with City arborist on trees in C-port (so many streets are almost tree-less and some of us want to do something about that);
Cambridge Housing Authority plans to expend tens of millions on renovations (many of the CHA properties are in Cport);
Much more!

Walk or Bike in Cambridge? Join the City's Efforts

2009-11-17T18:07:00.007-05:00

Given that C-port is easy walking or biking distance from huge employment hubs in Harvard, MIT, Longwood Medical Area and downtown, it makes sense that our neighborhood would rank among the leaders in biking and walking commutes in Cambridge (and the city itself ranks #1 nationally in walking commutes). And, given conversations with cyclists friends of mine, they likely have a lot to say about the City's approach to bikes and pedestrians.

Well, here's their chance. And yours.

From the Chronicle:

The city is looking for people to join its pedestrian and bicycle committees. Pedestrians and cyclists of all ages are encouraged to apply. The two committees work on a variety of issues. They review major development and roadway plans from a pedestrian or cyclist perspective. They work with city staff on general policies and specific projects...
Applicants should be enthusiastic walkers or cyclists who live in Cambridge, can attend monthly meetings, and are willing to work on projects.

Image by Flickr user Dan 4th. Used under Creative Commons license.

No Love for MIT's Campus

2009-11-13T20:39:00.004-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chororos/3840636901/
Originally uploaded by James Chororos

Noted author and urbanist James Howard Kunstler has some harsh words in his podcast this week about MIT, saying the campus "has got to be the ugliest academic neighborhood in America."

He goes on: "Is it because science-oriented people or engineer types have no interest whatsoever in in their surroundings?" he wonders. "You couldn't have designed an uglier campus if you'd invited the devil to run the design team. Everything they've done lately... even these new Frank Gehry buildings and Steven Holl buildings, you know, the "starchitect" buildings, have done nothing to make it any better."

While I think he gives no credit at all to the beautiful Beaux Arts Bosworth campus, the conversation has an interesting take on the race betweem elite institutions to create "wacky buildings."

A more substantive discussion follows about the design issues with the Rose Kennedy Greenway and why Boston is one of the "healthiest cities in America."

C-Port Scene: The Spectacular Shell Sign

2009-11-11T13:14:00.003-05:00

Photo by Flickr user EandJsFilmCrew. Used with Creative Commons License.

This installment of the C-Port Scene doubles as a public announcement.

Everyone knows about the "Spectacular" Shell sign where Magazine meets Memorial down at the tip of C-port. But did you know it was over 75 years old? Did you know it has been on the National Register of Historic Places for over 15?

Next week, City Council will hold a public hearing to consider a proposal by the Cambridge Historic Commission to designate the sign as a Cambridge Landmark. Read the history of the sign and the bygone era of "spectacular" neon signage in the Commission's Landmark Report. The hearing details:
Wednesday, 11/18, 4:30 p.m.
Sullivan Chamber, City Hall
795 Massachusetts Avenue, 2nd floor

Planning Board Delays Blessed Sacrament to 12/1

2009-11-09T12:04:00.002-05:00

Per a note on the Planning Board's November 10th Agenda, the discussion of the Dana Park Place Condos (aka Blessed Sacrament Church) will be delayed until 12/1. Details about the issues with the project have been thin thus far. It is strange to have a "design review with possible revisions" discussion--as the agenda anticipates--while an approved project is under construction.

For some history of the project, which has suffered from construction delays and the economic downturn, go here and here.

Rendering of the proposed renovation to the Blessed Sacrament facade from the development's website.

A Greener, More Just C-port

2009-11-08T23:38:00.002-05:00

There's no doubt the kind of call for change that Al Gore promotes resonates globally (and this past weekend, locally) is needed to pull the planet from our current path toward severe climate change. Gore, however, is the first to agree that the kind of collective action he's seeking originates at the household and neighborhood level, and extends beyond energy efficiency and less wasteful lives. It begins with individual responsibility and extends to a sustainable, socially just basis for our local economy, the kind of approach shared by MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) and by organizations like the GreenPort Forum.

GreenPort, formed in 2006, is a group of local neighbors coming together to learn and collaborate and act on this shared vision. The "fringe benefit," they claim, is that "neighbors working together to solve global warming builds a strong neighborhood."

Last week, GreenPort founder Steve Morr-Wineman announced the next Forum, on Common Security Clubs, presented by Andrée Zaleska (co-founder of the JP Green House):

Coming together to prepare for economic change in uncertain times: Find out why these locally-based initiatives focused on shared learning, mutual aid and social action are emerging in dozens of communities across the country.
Tuesday, November 17 at 7 pm
Central Square Library, 45 Pearl St.
For more information, contact Steve Morr-Wineman at swineman@gis.net.

Another Week, Another Major Sustainability Address

2009-11-05T13:06:00.006-05:00

One week the president, the next a former VP.

As a neighborhood, we continue to struggle to find greener ways to coexist with each other and our surroundings. But wee little C-port, nestled tightly between MIT and Harvard, neatly finds itself in one of the world capitols of the sustainability movement. Following the president's MIT speech on energy policy last week, Al Gore comes to the other end of Mass Ave to tout Our Choice, his follow-up to An Inconvenient Truth.

This Saturday's event at the First Parish Meetinghouse near Harvard Square is sold out, but as with President Obama, there will surely be a crowd gathered to try and catch a glimpse of the Nobel Prize winning superstar of the green movement.

Don't Forget to Vote!

2009-11-03T08:43:00.003-05:00

I was pleasantly surprised to see my polling place at Morse School bustling at 8am this morning. If that kind of activity is repeated across Cambridge, there might be a nice turnout today.

Don't forget to vote! See this post for a last-minute cribsheet.

A New Twist on Town/Gown Politics

2009-11-01T13:42:00.006-05:00

The relationship between city and the world renowned institutions that call Cambridge home is constantly in tension. This is especially true in C-port, which is physically home to parts of both MIT and Harvard. No doubt, the schools have immense positive impact in terms of employment, cultural enrichment and the local economy. But there are other areas of friction, stemming from campus expansions, commercial development and property management, student housing issues, and other, more sensational controversies. In neighboring communities such as Allston, Harvard and BC's expansions are full of controversy. A common response for many residents is to seek Council members who can assert the community's desires against the expanding institutions.

Here in Cambridge, the City Council candidacy of Leland Cheung addresses the Town/Gown issue head on. Cheung is a graduate student at MIT, by his own claim the first active student to run for City Council. His candidacy is more than a grad school fling; he recently was one of two challengers to garner a Chronicle endorsement (along with architect Tom Stohlman). Given his status as both a student and a longtime resident, Cheung's claims about working with universities seem to ring truer than the average candidate, such as his promise that, "as the first current student (who was first and foremost a home-owning resident) I will use my unique status to open university resources to the community." [full disclosure: I'm an MIT alum, but I don't know Cheung, nor have I decided who to vote for just yet.]

Regardless of your choice, please get out and vote on Tuesday. For those still looking for a candidate to support or other election info, be sure to check out the Municipal Election post from last week that links to a bunch of resources, (including the comprehensive Cambridge Civic Journal).

Image of Cambridge City Hall from the city website.

Celebrate Halloween at Dana Park!

2009-10-28T23:45:00.005-04:00

From neighbor Carolyn Shipley:

Cambridge Community Schools presents:
Halloween in Dana Park, Saturday, 10/31, 3 to 5 p.m. Entertainment by Davey the Clown. Juggling, music, and more! There'll be face painting, crafts, prizes and treats. Costumes encouraged. For more information, please call 617-349-6227. Bring your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc!

C-Port All Over Monday's City Council Agenda

2009-10-25T23:08:00.004-04:00

Some good questions to start the week:

What's happening at Blessed Sacrament Church (aka the Dana Park Place condo development, pictured at right), and why in the world are they blocking in the beautiful classical portico with CMU?
As popular as the Pacific Street dog park is, how about a place to sit for dog owners? Or, since it will soon be dark by 4:30pm, how about some lighting?
What should happen with the old police station building on Western Ave at Central Square?

Via seperate emails from City Council member Craig Kelley, we learned that this Monday's City Council Agenda will take up these exact topics (among others). I'm interested specifically in the Blessed Sacrament questions, as we've noticed lots of folks puzzled by the damaging alterations to the exterior in the past few weeks. I posted earlier this summer about work finally resuming on the project. For Monday, Councilor Decker has asked the City Manager to "provide the City Council with an update on the Blessed Sacrament Church construction project, specifically, why there has been a delay in construction and whether or not the developer is building beyond the scope of the permitted plans."

Per Councilor Kelley's emails, anyone can speak for up to three minutes on any topic on the Council's agenda at Monday's Council's meeting. To speak at a Council meeting, call 349-4280 between 9 AM and 3 PM to sign up, or show up at 5:30 to speak. You may email the entire Council at Council@Cambridgema.gov and the City Manager at RHealy@Cambridgema.gov.

Municipal Elections on Nov. 3rd

2009-10-22T08:58:00.005-04:00

Image courtesy Cambridge Chronicle.

UPDATE: Added a link below to the Cambridge Civic Journal, an outstanding resource for residents and voters.

Voting for candidates for City Council and School Committee doesn't have the visceral appeal of national campaigns (Yes we can! Drill baby drill! Ronny Reagan 4-EVA!). The results, however, can have immediate and useful (or annoying) consequences for our day-to-day lives.

So, with less than two weeks until the 11/3 election day, we'll point out the various resources for C-port residents looking for candidates to support. Please vote!

The Chronicle has a Q&A with all the Council candidates (click on each candidates photo). A great resource for viewing multiple candidate profiles (and a host of other city council background) can be found at the Cambridge Civic Journal's 2009 Candidate pages.

The Cambridge Election Commission has the polling places, election calendar (important for absentee voting), specimen ballots, and a list of all the municipal candidates.

Here's the makeup of the current City Council and School Committee with a little background on each.

And I'll admit that I'm pretty curious to see the results of that little contest happening across the river.

The President Comes to C-Port

2009-10-21T08:51:00.004-04:00

Nestled between Harvard and MIT, C-port is no stranger to VIP visitors, but color me excited about this Friday's address by President Obama from MIT. The news came yesterday from MIT VP Kirk Kolenbrander:

[O]n Friday, October 23, President Barack Obama will be visiting MIT, where he will deliver an address in Kresge Auditorium on clean energy after meeting some of the MIT faculty and students whose work centers on energy. The President will be joined by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.

Kolenbrander elaborated on some logistics (which shouldn't affect the non-campus area significantly):

The visit will begin in the late morning on Friday and end in the early afternoon. Of course, any Presidential visit to MIT involves security measures that may cause significant interruptions to the ordinary life of the campus. On Friday morning, please expect vehicle and pedestrian traffic to be disrupted on various parts of our campus... any further information about the day of the visit, will be made available [Wednesday] at http://web.mit.edu/events/presidentialvisit.

Image courtesy MIT, attributed to Flickr with Creative Commons license.

What's Needed in Central Square Retail?

2009-10-20T17:16:00.005-04:00

An announcement from City Council member Henrietta Davis. What do you think Central Square needs?

Brunch Rundown

2009-10-20T08:36:00.003-04:00

Photo_041709_003
Originally uploaded by yehwan

For those who greet the arrival of cooler weather with a craving for hot comfort food and less hectic weekends, brunch is one of life's great pleasures. Lucky for us, C-port abounds with good and varied options. Via Winnie Yang and the Nine Dots Boston arts blog comes this rundown of Central Square brunch options (h/t CentralSquare.com).

There are no real surprises on a list that contains Toscanini's, Cragie on Main, Cafe Luna and Brookline Lunch, but its a nice reminder that there are plenty of good local places out there ready to help us put on that protective layer for winter! (Or am I the only one that thinks its a compliment for a bunch to be "definitely on the slower, greasier side of food life"?)

ConCom Meeting on DCR Projects TONIGHT

2009-10-19T11:58:00.004-04:00

magazine beach 3rd april 08
Originally uploaded by essygie

UPDATE: Links added for background.

Neighbor and Charles River watershed advocate Marilyn Wellons passes on information about tonight's (Monday) important Cambridge Conservation Commission hearing on the joint Cambridge-DCR projects and controversy at Magazine Beach/Memorial Drive. The hearing is at 8pm in the fourth floor conference room of 344 Broadway.

From Ms. Wellons:

Hundreds of us signed the 2008 petition to support the conservation of Magazine Beach and Captains Island as natural and historic green space—as untreated, multipurpose fields open to all. We supported Cambridge purchase of land for new sports fields away from the banks of the river, in underserved Cambridge neighborhoods; funding and proper maintenance for existing children and adult pools; restored access to the river for human activity and waterfowl of all kinds; and a natural history walk and passive information center on the history and ecology of the Charles River estuary. Now the DCR is asking the ConCom for an extension of the ConCom's Order of Conditions to allow the work to continue...
Please attend the hearing or, if that’s not possible, contact ConCom Director Jennifer Wright, at jwright@cambridgema.gov.

R & R

2009-10-19T11:54:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts the last two weeks... the blog (and blogger) were out of the country on a much needed vacation! New posts coming soon.

C-Port Historical Tour Rescheduled for Sun. 10/11

2009-10-06T23:18:00.005-04:00

From Cathie Zusy of the Cambridge Historical Society:

Because of the rain last weekend, Charlie Sullivan's C-port history walk has been postponed to this Sunday, October 11. The tour will start at Fort Washington Park at 1 p.m., giving folks a chance to see the reopened and rededicated park. The tour will end at Dana Park at 2:30 p.m.

The Fort Washington Tour (stay-dry version)

2009-10-06T10:24:00.003-04:00

cannon on the mounds
Originally uploaded by alist

For those unable to attend the rededication of Fort Washington in the rain this weekend, the CNA passed along the text of the tour/speech made by Brian Campbell, reproduced below. I promise you'll learn something new about our "greasy village"...

The American Revolution (1775 to 1783)
In a letter to Joseph Reed dated November 27, 1775, George Washington, wrote, “I have caused two half Moon Batterries to be thrown up for occasional use, between Litchmore’s Point and the mouth of Cambridge River” (Charles River). Of the many siege
fortifications built, only the Three Gun Battery Earthworks at Fort Washington Park survive in an original condition.

After, the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 16th 1775, Volunteer soldiers, worked for nine months building dozens of siege fortifications, in a Ring, around Boston. Henry Knox’s volunteer soldiers and teamsters, hauled Heavy Siege Cannons, from Fort Ticonderoga, New York, 300 miles, to Cambridge Common. Four Thousand (4000) American Soldiers placed them on Dorchester Heights on the night of March 4th 1776, forcing the British evacuation of Boston on March 17, 1776. The British never did return and on March 17th, we celebrate Evacuation Day / St. Patrick’s Day, and Washington’s First Victory.
Fort Washington Park built 1857 (1783 to 1865)
At the end of the Revolution, the Dana family, who owned most of Cambridgeport, protected the Three Gun Battery Earthworks. In 1857, these were deeded to Cambridge. The best statement about the transfer to the city of the Fort Washington property seems to be that contained in the Historic Guide to Cambridge, compiled by
members of Hannah Winthrop Chapter, DAR, in 1907, on page 179. It is as follows: The three gun battery at the foot of Allston Street retains the semblance of a fort, and is called Fort Washington. The land where this battery was thrown up had been held in common from the close of the Revolution till 1857, when it was deeded to the city by the following persons: Edmund T. and Elizabeth Hastings, Mary E. Dana, Joseph A. and Penelope Willard, John and Hannah B. Bartlett. A fund of $800 was also turned over to the city, by these people who cared for this plot of historic land. The conditions named in the deed were as follows:
[T]hat the above premises when suitably enclosed and adorned by said city, shall forever remain open for light, air, and adornment, for the convenience and accommodation of the owners of estates in said Pine Grove, and of the Public generally.
The city accepted this gift and with the assistance of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts proceeded to restore this battery to its original condition, to build a substantial fence around it and to erect a flagstaff. The secretary of war gave three Eighteen Pound American guns, and the Secretary of the Navy gave the gun carriages. The state legislature voted to appropriate the sum of $2000,
provided the city of Cambridge shall appropriate a sum sufficient to complete the said fence at a cost of not less than four thousand dollars and said Fort Washington shall always be accessible to the public, and that said city shall always keep the fence proposed to built, in good repair.
The Cambridge City Directory 1861 reported the Earthworks to be five years old in appearance and in excellent condition and the total cost was $9,504.05.

The Industrialization of Cambridgeport & Isolation of Fort Washington (1865 to 1930)
The Late 1800’s saw Cambridgeport rapidly industrialize, [including firms such as] JOHN REARDON & SONS, a soap and candle business (1878) was located on the SE side of Fort Washington. These and other like Businesses gave the Cambridgeport Neighborhood the nickname of “Greasy Village”. The Charles River Tidal “Oyster Flats” on the south side of Fort Washington were filled, creating new land, isolating Fort Washington a ¼ mile from the Charles River. Thus, Fort Washington became a place avoided and was vandalized. The Hannah Winthrop Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution restored Fort Washington in 1905, and quoted, History of Cambridge, Massachusetts 1630-1877, Lucius R. Paige “Let no unpatriotic hand destroy this revolutionary relic, now known as Fort Washington.” in their book Historic Guide to Cambridge.
Bernard Rudolph Square and the Restoration of Fort Washington (1930 – 2009)
Bernard Rudolph (Bernie), arrived in Cambridgeport in 1921 at age 10, escaping Russian persecution with his mother, Rose and sisters, joining his Father, Hymie who emigrated here earlier. Of Cambridgeport, Bernie said, “from the aroma of fat-rendering then in the area. On a hot day, when the smell mixed with that coming from chocolate factory, the mixture boggled the senses.” Bernard grew up in Cambridgeport, served in WWII and returned to Cambridgeport with his Wife Marion and raised a Son, Stuart and daughters, Sandra and Lois. He became president of Cambridge Post 35 Jewish War Veterans.
By the Early 1960’s Fort Washington had become fully enclosed by defunct St. Johnsbury Trucking Company. Bernie wittnessed Fort Washington’s decline over many years saying "During the Depression, people ripped sections off the fence to sell to junkyards. Through the years, it suffered from a bad case of neglect. “The flagpole, the cannon, the fence, and the mounds [of earthworks] showed that no one cared," he said, "If commercial and political allies had prevailed then, the fort would be a parking lot today." His goal, Mr. Rudolph said, was "just and simple: That this historic fort should not become another dump for snow in the winter and a parking lot for trailers in the summer.”

Before the 1960s, before Mr. Rudolph launched his campaign to save the park around 1967, the fact that it was generally ignored, bothered him. In 1968, with the help of his wife, Marion K. Rudolph, they organized raffles and other events and raised $1075 dollars for the installation of a new flagpole at the park. Bernie Rudolph and his son Stuart, would raise the flag every morning and lower it every evening, for five years, flying flags procured by Tip O'Neill, the late speaker of the House who represented this neighborhood, until Bernie got the city and the utility company to put lighting in so the flag could be displayed around the clock. Ceremonies held at Fort Washington, on Flag Day, June 14th, were attended by the Late Senator, Ted Kennedy, Attorney General, Elliot Richardson and veteran organazations.

Fort Washington was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973. By 1975, with interest aroused by the bicentennial, Mr. Rudolph's diligence finally paid off.
Mr. Rudolph gained allies like the DAR, and MIT Professor, Douglas Adams. The Cast Iron Fence was eventually restored to it’s approximate 1859 appearance at a cost of over $400,000, much of it Bicentenial and National Park Funds. Archeology studies confirmed the Revolutionary Earthworks are “original and fragile”. In the Cambridge City Directory, 1861, the author wishes a Statue of Colonel Richard C. Gridley, who probably designed the Three Gun Battery, adorn the site. The Madiline Lord Relief Sculptures, of Common Soldiers, modeled on Re-enactors, represent the Spirit of the over 16,000 American Soldiers that took part in the “Siege of Boston”, better, than the likeness of an individual. These are a welcome reminder of who this Park honors.

On October, 11th, 1998, in recorganization of his efforts, the Cambridge City Council named the Fort Washington Area Bernard Rudolph Square. At the ceremony, Mr. Rudolph spoke affectionally about his Wife, Marion "my chief aide, my greatest critic and my biggest supporter." Those at the ceremony said it was typically Bernie to mention all the people who helped him his effort to save Fort Washington Park, including his "pro bono attorney Eddy Applestein," Cambridge Post 35 Jewish War
Veterans, and the late Pasquale Reale, director of veterans' services for Cambridge, and his four grandchildren and daughter-in-law. Mr Rudoloph’s 70 year Journey, from an Immigrant Lad to an American Patriot, summs up the American Experience in that he is a Brother of the Patriotic Band of Brothers that Washington talked about. That through the generations have defended the freedom of the United States of America, that are honored here at Fort Washington. As Mr. Rudolph said "Fort Washington is a symbol and a vision, a reminder of what we are, where we came from”, and what we can do," and thanks to Mr. Rudolph, Fort Washington, a Symbol of American freedom, is not just another parking lot.

First Cambridgeport History Day a Soggy Success!

2009-10-06T10:12:00.002-04:00

Thanks to all who braved the weekend's wet weather and made the first Cambridgeport History Weekend happen. Special thanks go to Cathie Zusy and the Cambridge History Society, as well as the weekend's sponsors: the Cambridge Historical Commission, the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association, the Cambridge Arts Council, Gallery 263, and other community groups.

Let's hope this event marks a season of renewed interest and appreciation for our 'hood's long history!

Residents Displaced by William Street Fire

2009-09-30T08:53:00.002-04:00

From this morning's Chronicle:

Ten Cambridge residents have been displaced from their home on William Street after a fire erupted in the ceiling of the building. According to Deputy Fire Chief John Gelinas, firefighters responded to 29 William St. with reports of an electrical fixture that caught fire around 1 a.m. on Monday. Estimate damage is $25,000. A total of ten people have been temporarily displaced from the 2-1/2-story building since the electricity inside the house was turned off.

See the C-port You Never Knew

2009-09-24T21:38:00.005-04:00

Help Shape a New C-port Housing Development

2009-09-24T15:39:00.004-04:00

Two updates on the 625 Putnam development, approved earlier this month by the Cambridge Planning Board:

First, a notice and invitation from HRI's Jane (Jones) Carbone to neighborhood residents/abutters in a mailing today:

HRI is now beginning the next planning phase for Putnam Ave Housing -- Design Development. This stage will formalize the buildings' details and Site Plan which will show what the buildings will look like and include details of the landscape plan. This process will take 2-3 months. We would like to have you join us in this review process. If you are interested in attending meetings to provide input and discuss design ideas with our architect please contact me at jcarbone@homeownersrehab.org or call at 617-868-4858 ex. 212 so that I can schedule the meeting dates and locations.

The second update provides some details from the Planning Board's approval, supplied by CDD's Liza Paden (selected portions only. For the full text, contact Ms. Paden):

FINDINGS

1. Section 10.47.4: Criteria for Approval of Multifamily Dwellings

a. Key features of the natural environment should be preserved to the maximum extent feasible. Tree removal should be minimized and other natural features of the site, such as slopes, should be maintained.

The development parcel consists of a single story vacant industrial building and open parking lot. There are no trees on the site.

b. New buildings should be related sensitively to the existing built environment. The location, orientation and massing of structures in the development should avoid overwhelming the existing buildings in the vicinity of the development. Visual and functional disruptions should be avoided.

The proposed buildings have been located to complement the existing residential uses along Sidney Street and Putnam Avenue. The three story building along Sidney Street is in keeping with the existing residential abutters, with individual front and rear doors. All parking is beneath the Putnam Avenue building to maximize the amount of green open space. The four story building provides a transition to the abutting building site with a 65 foot height limit in the Special District 8A district. The building is designed to provide a principal access of both a ramp and steps to the porch. The Putnam Avenue façade also contains the garage entrance. The Sidney Street building has front entrances on Sidney Street.

c. The location, arrangement, and landscaping of open space should provide some visual benefits to abutters and passersby as well as functional benefits to occupants of the development.

The developer will create green landscaped areas where none currently exist. There will be plantings along the public sidewalks on both Putnam Avenue and Sidney Street. The area abutting the residential buildings is being planted to provide a landscaped buffer between the project sidewalks and the abutting residential properties. There will also be an interior landscaped area within the development.

d. Parking areas, internal roadways and access/egress points should be safe and convenient.

All parking will be located below the multifamily building and accessed from
Putnam Avenue. This access will be properly marked for pedestrian
awareness.
e. Parking area landscaping should minimize the intrusion of onsite parking so that it does not substantially detract from the use and enjoyment of either the proposed development or neighboring properties.

All parking is below the building.
2. Section 6.35.1(6) Reduction of Required Parking within a development providing affordable housing units

The Applicant presented research from other properties that they have developed and currently manage, as well as those of another nonprofit housing developer, which indicate a reduced demand for parking by the households they serve. The existing parking use of those similar projects is below .6 spaces per unit; the proposed development will provide .7 spaces per unit. The MBTA Red Line (in Central Square) and Green Line (across the river in Boston) are within walking distance of the development and the area is served by an existing MBTA bus route as well as the EZ Ride shuttle. It is expected that the general pattern of auto ownership observed in those other developments will occur here as well. With the development of this project the City will be able to designate a number of existing on-street parking spaces, now unrestricted, as resident only parking that should benefit this development and existing neighborhood residential units.

With a reduced parking ratio, there will be significant savings in construction costs for providing the underground parking, as well as time devoted to construction, since the development is designed to excavate only the footprint of the Putnam Avenue building, and to locate the parking below only that building. Minimizing the expense of underground parking makes it possible to provide such a valuable design feature and allow substantial green landscaping at the ground level where surface parking would otherwise have to be located.

There is an additional benefit of constructing a smaller garage with fewer parking spaces: A superior landscaping plan with more mature trees and shrubs can be planted in soil rather than in fill over a garage.

4. Section 5.24.4(3) Side yard Reduction to 10 feet

The design meets all zoning setback requirements with the exception of one portion of the multifamily building (at Putnam Avenue) along the northeasterly edge of the site, next to the existing vacant industrial building. The Board finds that the yard reduction at this location is reasonable, as it will be adequately landscaped and its impact is mitigated by setting back the fourth floor of the building. The yard reduction allows a shift in the location of the building on this portion of the site to provide a larger setback on the westerly side of the building next to the neighboring residential
structure.

The Veneto Comes to Mass Ave

2009-09-21T22:58:00.006-04:00

There's an interesting pattern as you move along the north edge of C-port, from the Harvard Bridge to Central Square. There's constant activity in the first few blocks near Lobby 7 and the heart of MIT. After you cross the railroad tracks, there's a major dropoff in vitality, a gap of surface parking lots, and corporate bioresearch buildings before it ramps back up to the MIT Museum, Cambridge Bicycle Co., Miracle of Science, Middlesex and the beginning of the retail strip that runs nearly uninterrupted to Harvard Square. (Some people, none of whom are me, have started trying to identify the area as "LoMa", as in Lower Massachusetts Ave).

The innovation and variety along the Mass Ave corridor is an amazing asset to C-Port--and the thousands of students and visitors that move along it every day, and every address it moves southeastward toward the river bridges that gap. The next small step toward that comes in the form of Central Bottle wine + provisions, a don't-call-it-an-enoteca to be opened next month in the old New England Confectionary Co building (NECCO!) at 196 Mass Ave. Central Bottle will serves small bites and an offering of wines that will expand what's available in the neighborhood. The owners, four Cantabridgians, embrace their new establishment's revitalizing location and hope it provides a taste of the bella vita they found together in Venice. The foodies out there will recognize a few of the owners from Kendall Square's The Blue Room.

Central Bottle hopes to open October 15th.

(h/t Central Square Blog)

Mark Sandman Memorial Concert in Pacific Park

2009-09-17T20:38:00.004-04:00

Sunday, September 27th at Pacific Street Park, several local and national acts will gather at Pacific Street Park to play a concert in memory of legendary Morphine frontman Mark Sandman. The show will benefit the Mark Sandman Music Project, a not-for-profit community-based organization dedicated to bringing children and music together to foster recreational, educational, and artistic goals. Sandman, a Cambridge native, suffered a fatal heart attack after a performance in Italy in 1999. His passing was noted at the time in a touching eulogy featured in the Boston Phoenix.

Concert details per the Central Square Blog:

The second Mark Sandman Memorial Concert will take place at Pacific Park... on Sunday, September 27, from 1 to 7 pm. The first was on July 25 of 1999, just weeks after the Morphine frontman’s untimely passing onstage at the Nel Nome del Rock festival in Palestrina, Italy. July 3, 2009 marked the tenth anniversary of Sandman’s death, and Sept. 24, 2009 would have been his 57th birthday.
As well as celebrating the life and work of this favorite son of the Cambridge and Boston music scene, the Memorial Concert will focus attention on the Mark Sandman Music Project, based in the newly renovated Arts in the Armory building in Somerville.

See the CS blog post for links to all the artists, or friend the Mark Sandman Memorial Concert on Facebook for details. For more on the nonprofit Music Project, see their myspace page. Something I didn't know: the intersection of Brookline and Mass Ave, location of the famous Middle East, is named Mark Sandman Square.

Cambridgeport History Day is Coming!

2009-09-14T12:59:00.004-04:00

Cambridgeport
Originally uploaded by thewhiterabbit11

Details on the upcoming events on October 3rd from the organizer, the Cambridgeport History Group. This is shaping up to be a really fantastic weekend for the C-port community:

“If This House Could Talk..." invites residents and visitors to explore the intimate history of this rich neighborhood. On October 3 and 4, Cambridgeport neighbors and businesses will display original signs sharing choice tidbits about events—contemporary or historic, personal or public—that happened in their buildings. Cathie Zusy, the project’s organizer, hopes that “neighbors will stroll around, discovering great stories that took place just around the corner.” [ed: I saw my first "If This House Could Talk" sign this morning at Dana Park... anyone seen others up yet? Residents eager to put up a sign can contact Cathie at 617-868-0489 or at cathzusy@aol.com]

Saturday, Oct. 3rd activities:

(pick up a map of historic sites and a list of sign locations anytime 10am-5pm at Dana Park)

Noon: Rededication of Fort Washington Park, the only survivor of a chain of small forts ordered built by George Washington in 1775 to defend against the British occupiers of Boston. Gardner’s Regiment, a local group of Revolutionary War re-enactors, will be encamped at the fort from 11am to 2pm and will participate in the rededication

1:00-2:30pm: Charles Sullivan, Executive Director of the Cambridge Historical Commission, will lead a walking tour of Cambridgeport, starting at Fort Washington and ending at Dana Park

2:30-5:00pm: local community groups will provide entertainment and activities for children and adults, including:

Sidewalk Histories—Brookline Street Mosaics, the Cambridge Poet Populist Program, and Dana Park Quotes (Cambridge Arts Council)
A Mystery History Photo Contest (Cambridge Historical Society)
History Rubbings (Gallery 263)
“Memory Lane: Walking Routes Celebrating Cambridge Women’s History!,” self-guided tours of Cambridgeport (Cambridge Women’s Commission)
Collage Houses: An Art Project for Kids (Hazel Ryerson)

4:00-7:00pm: the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association will hold its annual potluck dinner at Dana Park. Neighbors are invited to bring a dish and enjoy music by local musician Ken Field’s Revolutionary Snake Ensemblette.

If you have questions, e-mail: cport@cambridgehistory.org or call the Cambridge Historical Society at 617-547-4252.

Western Avenue Bridge Repairs

2009-09-14T09:24:00.003-04:00

2004-10-23 019
Originally uploaded by sv.prudence

From the Chronicle:
State to make repairs to Western Avenue Bridge

Beginning Saturday, Sept. 13 continuing for several days from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m. each night, [DCR] will be repairing the concrete railing on the Western Avenue Bridge... During the work, the right Boston-bound lane will be closed. Loud jack hammering noise will end by 11:30 p.m. each night.

625 Putnam Approved by Planning Board

2009-09-11T12:53:00.003-04:00

On Tuesday night the Planning Board formally approved the Homeowners Rehab, Inc (HRI) proposal known as the 625 Putnam development. The project was approved as proposed, containing 40 affordable housing units in two buildings (a six-unit building fronting Brookline St and a 34-unit building facing Putnam). The project will have 28 off-street (underground) parking spaces for residents. HRI's team was advised to consider the neighborhood's concerns, but did not make their approval contingent on any specific conditions.

For the unfamiliar, there's a lot of background info in these prior posts.

Despite the very real concerns of abutters, the project has great potential and will expand C-port's vibrant residential fabric into the light industrial belt of buildings on MIT's west side. Hopefully, the HRI team will continue regular communication with the neighborhood as the project moves through design and construction.

Cambridge Carnival Parade this Weekend

2009-09-09T13:46:00.004-04:00

cambridge carnival participants
Originally uploaded by iamtonyang

~~Saturday~~ Sunday the 13th marks the return of the 17th Cambridge Carnival International festival and parade, a "colorful and festive celebration that is rooted in African traditions," and annually attracts 150,000 celebrants.

Most of the carnival itself will be centered at Kendall Square, but the enlarged, 1.3 mile parade route runs right through C-port, starting at Blackstone Street and River Street at 1pm, continuing up River Street to Mass Ave. From Central Square, it continues down Mass Avenue to Main Street into Kendall Square.

A bit more from the organizers:

Cambridge Carnival is the most unique event in the City of Cambridge. It is planned entirely by the community for the community. The organizing committee works hard year-round to plan an event that is inclusive, engaging, and reflective of the City’s diversity. The event is organized by a non-profit volunteer community organization made up of a diverse group of individuals who live and work in Cambridge as well as local businesses who desire to promote, preserve and share the history and culture of the Caribbean and Carnival traditions based on the models of Trinidad and Tobago and Brazil. The festival is a vehicle to bring together Cambridge's diverse community for a spectacular annual costume parade and celebration.
The Cambridge Carnival has come a long way since 1992 from a small street fair at University Park, to now one of the most spectacular events in the Greater Boston area. Today, Cambridge Carnival is one of the largest outdoor multicultural festivals in New England. After twelve years of growth, in 2004, Cambridge Carnival, which takes place in August every year, outgrew its Central Square location and found a home in Kendall Square. Cambridge Carnival is one of twenty-four North American Caribbeanstyle carnivals that combine wire-bending, costumes, masks, music, steel pan, street-parades, dancing, and food and craft exhibits, to display the diverse cultures of all the countries and Caribbean islands.

Capuano to Run

2009-09-08T13:48:00.003-04:00

Per the Chronicle, citing the Dorchester Reporter:

Report: Capuano to run for Kennedy Senate seat

If the former Somerville mayor indeed runs, it would end a six-term stranglehold on the 8th District seat. C-port (and the rest of Cambridge, Somerville, Chelsea and the two-thirds of Boston that make up the District) will have an open seat in 2010 for the first time in 12 years, since Capuano succeeded Joe Kennedy.

Neighborhood Association Meeting on Sept 10

2009-09-05T11:08:00.003-04:00

From Bill August, on behalf of the CNA:

The Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association will be holding a community meeting Thursday, Sept 10, 7 pm, at the Woodrow Wilson Court community room (entrance down the ramp on Fairmont St, off of Magazine St). We have an exciting agenda and all are welcome.

1) C-port History Day and Park/Block Party on October 3rd. This is gearing up to be a big day for the neighborhood, with the rededication of Fort Washington, tours, a party at Dana Park and other ways of celebrating C-port's fascinating history, including If This House Could Talk. The CNA meeting will be a vital planning event.
2) State Rep. Marty Walz has requested an opportunity to update the neighborhood about new legislation she has filed for better protecting open space along the river.
3) Update on the wide range of current DCR issues affecting the neighborhood, which will certainly include the more controversial efforts.
4) An update on the proposed 625 Putnam development--especially the results of the potentially decisive public hearing on September 8th.

Man Stabbed on Brookline Street

2009-09-03T08:10:00.004-04:00

I don't closely monitor the police blotter, so I really don't know how common violent crime is in the neighborhood. But I'll admit that I get pretty complacent about safety in our sleepy C-port. So Monday night's stabbing at the corner of Brookline and Erie surprised me.

Via the Globe:

Teen stabs man multiple times in Cambridge robbery attempt, police say

A 56-year-old man who refused to give up his wallet was stabbed multiple times Monday night by a teenager during a struggle on a dark Cambridge street, Cambridge Police said.

And in today's Chronicle, we hear about a related crime across town:

Cops: Teen robber stabbed one victim in Kendall, another in Cambridgeport

The 16-year-old Cambridge boy was arrested at about 1:45 a.m. Aug. 31 and charged with attempted robbery and assault with intent to murder after he used a knife to allegedly stab a 56-year-old Cambridge man. The teen allegedly demanded his victim’s wallet and when he refused, the teen allegedly stabbed the man multiple times at the intersection of Brookline and Erie streets, police said.
The victim underwent surgery and was listed in stable condition in the hospital Tuesday night, said Pasquarello.
The same teen is also wanted for an alleged stabbing in the Kendall Square T station Friday night, according to MBTA officials.

Our thoughts are with the victim and his family.

Next 625 Putnam Planning Board Hearing on September 8

2009-09-01T11:16:00.002-04:00

The Planning Board staff passed along a notice for the next Planning Board meeting, which will include "deliberation and a possible decision" on the 625 Putnam project proposed by HRI.

The details:

September 8, 7:30 pm
City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway
2nd Floor Conference Room

You can read the background on the proposal from these prior posts.

Congrats to Mayor Simmons

2009-09-01T09:11:00.005-04:00

From the Chronicle, a story on the recent (historic) wedding of Mayor Denise Simmons:

Simmons, draped in white lace, clasped hands with a suit-and-tie-clad Hayes, as they became the first same sex couple to be married inside the century-old St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church.
Simmons, the nation’s first African American, openly lesbian mayor, said she is cognizant of the deeper social implications of her wedding day in the city that granted the first same sex wedding license in state in 2004.
“Times are changing, people are becoming more accepting of their fellow citizens, and we are slowly arriving at more of a ‘live-and-let-live’ kind of world,” Simmons said in a statement released before the wedding. “Our society is definitely making progress.”

The Magazine Beach Transformation

2009-08-29T17:27:00.004-04:00

Magazine Beach, Cambridge
Originally uploaded by radioflyer007

In the few years I've lived here, one of the more disappointing parts of C-port is the lack of a relationship with the Charles. Physically, the neighborhood's form is defined by the river, either by the sweeping curve of the water itself or by the street grid created by the four heavily used crossings in the Harvard, BU, River and Western bridges. For a variety of reasons, however, most of my direct experiences with the river occur either to the west and east, in front of Harvard and MIT. Our portion of the riverbank lacks a pedestrian connection (or even view) of the water. The Mag Beach park has been pretty run down and overgrown.

A variety of state and city-led projects are seeking to change that, guided by the DCR Charles River Basin Master Plan, created in 1999. The Magazine Beach portion of the document is a pretty interesting read, reaching back to the Olmsted design of 1899. Some projects, such as regrading and resodding the playfields to have more usable surfaces and drainage, began construction nearly a year ago, and are nearing completion. As is the new Riverside Park at the corner of Western and Memorial, at the former Mahoney's Garden Center site. According to the Cambridge CDD website, the park will be completely finished next spring. Helping neighbors get there is a project to repair and improve the Magazine Street pedestrian bridge over Memorial Drive.

Other projects, though long in the planning stages, are just beginning. As noted last week, the Memorial Drive Historic Parkways Preservation program's tree and vegetation removal have sparked controversy this summer. The last big project is the on-again, off-again BU Bridge restoration, a necessary project that has seen its share of bureaucratic infighting.

Once all these projects are complete, planners and state agencies hope to see constant activity at Magazine Beach, from continuous riverside paths to softball and soccer games. Some even have visions of recreational swimming returning to the Charles, a proposal not without its own problems, but one that takes the challenge of reconnecting the neighborhood to the river literally.

One More Time Into the Pool!

2009-08-25T14:07:00.010-04:00

From the Chronicle:
State extends closing date for Cambridge pools... again

Sunday was scheduled to be the last day for swimmers to take a dip in the city’s public pools, but luckily for kids entering their last days of summer, that day has been extended for another week.

DCR now says the Swimming and Wading Pool at Magazine Beach will be open until Aug. 30.
(ht: Councilman Craig Kelley)

Volunteer to Help Improve Central Square

2009-08-21T12:59:00.004-04:00

Central Square - Cambridge
Originally uploaded by cambridgepads

Central Square is the place we love to hate: annoyed by litter and crowds, but drawn by necessity and convenience; disappointed by its failures as a public space, but smug in its establishments' low-rent indie street cred.

The city's Economic Development Department is looking for volunteers for the next few weeks to help learn what brings people to Central, how they get there, and what's needed to improve the area. They need five people to fan out to predetermined locations over several dates.

Some details from Elaine Madden, who is heading up the effort:

We in the City’s Economic Development Division are looking for volunteers to help conduct a Customer Intercept Survey in Central Square three days next week and three days the week after Labor Day. We hope to have five people surveying in each time slot.
We thought the survey results would be of interest to the residents of the Cambridgeport neighborhood and other neighborhoods abutting Central Square, as the Square is your cIosest commercial district and a place where many of you may shop, dine, and use professional services.
We will be analyzing the information and hope to share it with residents and the business community in the near future. The goal is to help understand who uses the Square and for what reasons, and to help businesses fill gaps in products and services to better serve their customers and attract new ones.
Please ask any volunteers to contact me (emadden@cambridgema.gov or 617-349-4618) a.s.a.p. let me know of their interest.

Group Protests DCR Memorial Drive Plans

2009-08-20T08:58:00.005-04:00

Canada geese and.... white farm geese?
Originally uploaded by varmazis

The Friends of the White Geese group's ongoing protest against DCR makes today's Globe:

This fall, the Department of Conservation and Recreation will be removing nine healthy trees in the so-called goose meadow, in the shadow of the Boston University Bridge, to make way for rehabilitation of the dilapidated 80-year-old structure.
The department also plans to cut down 157 dead, diseased, and damaged trees along Memorial Drive, from the BU Bridge to the Longfellow Bridge, as part of its historic parkways project, which seeks to return that stretch to its original 19th century landscaping.
The two plans have been sources of contention for a local environmental group that disputes the state’s figures, saying the projects would actually destroy 400 to 600 trees along the Cambridge side of the river that serve as shelter for humans and wildlife.

Check these links for more about DCR's Historic Parkways Preservation program and the Charles River Basin Master Plan, and the area plans for the BU Bridge and Magazine Beach. See the Friends of the White Geese blog for more of the criticism of the plans.