Thurs. Jan. 14: help re-design a community garden in Dorchester
On Thursday January 14, 6:30 PM, please attend the Nightingale Community Gardens Community Meeting at the Codman Square Health Center Tech Center, 450 Washington Street (corner of Park Street, across from KFC).
Anyone who is interested in community garden space in Dorchester, especially in the Park Street/Washington Street vicinity, is invited to attend this open community meeting hosted by the Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN) to discuss proposed renovations at the existing community gardens at 512 Park Street.
This is a huge underutilized green space near Codman Square. BNAN expects the following to be included in the plans for the construction phase:
• Removal of soil contamination and soil remediation
• Replace 10-foot tall fence with more inviting 5-foot tall fence
• Install metered water connection and spigots
• Remove or prune many of the trees in the garden
• Re-grade the garden
• Lay out and build new plots, including raised beds, to accommodate many more additional gardeners
• Establish new and level garden paths
• Build a common area for social gathering, meetings and community events
There will be a significant increase in the number of garden plots available.
Questions? please call Pat at 617-542-7696 or email pat@bostonnatural.org
Tide Turning in Bike Cage Push
December is bike cage month in DotBike land, as DEHC’s Pete Stidman and DotBike’s Vivian Girard have been gathering support for a bike cage at the JFK/UMass station near Columbia Point. The MBTA is building six to 10 bike cages within their transit and commuter rail system as part of a $4.8 million chunk of stimulus money specifically targeted to improving bike parking.
DEHC used the Freedom of Information Act to acquire a list of all the stations the T is considering for the new cages, as well as 50 bike shelters they intend to build. What we discovered is a strange bias toward suburban stations, and the likelihood that there would not be a bike cage in Dorchester, where bike theft is the number one deterrent to cycling!
As it turned out, the proximity of other stations worked against Dorchester and other urban neighborhoods in the T’s assessment of need for bike cages. They didn’t prioritize the positive effect on bike-ability neighborhood density has, nor the fact that cyclists might avoid other nearby stations due to theft risk. And most surprising-they didn’t compare or even look at rates of bike theft for any station! Continue Reading »
Support a new process on Blue Hill Avenue
It is now certain, the $140 million proposal to install a faster bus line on Blue Hill Avenue is dead, and that TIGER grant will not be obtained from the federal government. The good news though is that there is now much wider support for bike lanes on the street.
State legislators along the corridor have proposed a longer, more community-based process, to take advantage of the hundreds of thousands the state has already invested in the project. There is a roll plan of the street now, complete with bus boardings, turning movements, and tons of other data. And after the lengthy 28x controversy, we feel it’s time to really determine what the neighborhood would like to see on Blue Hill. But this longer process is not ensured. It would require funding for the process itself.
It is also unclear which government agency would carry on this process. If there is no large transit element, it would not be a state, but rather a city project. And of course money is tight everywhere.
If you’re interested in seeing the process continue, contact Mayor Thomas Menino’s office, contact your City Councillors about it, and also let your state legislators, Governor Patrick and Secretary of Transportation Jeffrey Mullan know that you support a continued public process on Blue Hill Avenue.
And, while you’re at it, suggest expanding the Public Advisory Group to include representation for cyclists!
Talbot Bike Lane design on schedule
DEHC and St. Marks Area Main Streets met with Nicole Freedman and Nick Jackson of Toole Design (the city’s contractor for bike lane design) earlier this week, and the news is a 25 percent design is expected sometime in December. We’ll be letting you know how it looks shortly after the Boston Transportation Department reviews.
With your support, DEHC influenced the city to install a bike lane on Talbot from Peabody Square to Blue Hill Avenue when we learned the section near Franklin Field was scheduled to be repaved as part of the stimulus funding to the city. We are on the lookout for more opportunities, and your continued vocal support of bike facilities in the neighborhood is absolutely necessary for our continued success! Thank you!
Bike Cages requested on Red Line
Working with DotBike, DEHC is building support in the community for card-accessed bike cages at two Dorchester Stations on the Red Line. Recently, the MBTA installed a basic bike cage at Forest Hills that holds around 100 bikes, is accessed by a special Bike Charlie Card, and has four surveillance cameras!
In Dorchester, we are requesting one or two bike cages at JFK/UMass Station and one at Ashmont Station (which connects with our future Talbot Avenue bike lane!). DotBike and DEHC are researching different bike cage designs and exploring the two stations to determine where to put them and what they might look like.
The MBTA has received $4.8 million for bicycle improvements to their system, and we want to let them know that secure bike parking should be a priority, particular in Dorchester. We’ve all seen bike skeletons on their current bike racks! Get in touch with us if you’d like to help us with this initiative, and make sure your local civic associations and institutions are aware.
The push for bike lanes on Blue Hill Avenue
For months, DEHC has been building a coalition of groups that support the installation of a bike lane along Blue Hill Avenue as part Continue Reading »
Oct. 22: City Council Candidates Debate Parks & Open Space Issues
The At-large Boston City Council Candidates will debate about Parks & Open Space issues on Thursday, October 22nd, from 6:30-8:00 pm at the Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse. Come hear the eight candidates talk about how they will promote and support greenspace throughout the city of Boston if they are elected. There will be questions about bicycling, public safety in parks, green jobs for youth, arts and nature programs, the link to health and wellness, community gardens, funding, park management and more. Half the program will be devoted to questions from the audience. Show the candidates how important parks and open space are to the quality of life for all Bostonians!
The Golf Clubhouse is on Franklin Park Road in Dorchester and can be Continue Reading »
new green spots pop up all over dot
A busy group in the Polish Triangle – the John W. McCormack Civic – dedicated the new “Sharon’s Park” on Columbia Road last September, which they designed and built as a tribute to the late Sharon Yokaitis, a community activist who passed away in 2002 at age 47.
The same busy folks are building a new park this year, the Washburn Howell Green Space – with its rain gardens it will be a new buffed-up spot of green on Dorchester Avenue. There is still lots to get done, and they are asking for help on the project, check out the Dorchester enviro events calendar for dates and times to get your hands dirty.
will it ever stop raining?
Everyone is discussing the lack of sunny summer weather in Boston – plants love rain but also need a little sunshine, like people do, to be really happy. The wet weather can cause problems like water in your basement or leaks through the roof. Instead of gnashing my teeth in frustration, I found some information about using (or diffusing back into the ground) rainwater on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website – rain gardens, porous pavements, green roofs, tree planting, and rainwater harvesting for uses such as toilet flushing and landscape irrigation. I decided to use gravel instead of paving for a garden path, and my rain barrel has been full!
