Design Public Hearing February 27, 2013 6:00 PM AT Boston English High School Auditorium 144 McBride Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 FOR THE PROPOSED Casey Arborway Project Project File No. 605511 Accelerated Bridge Program COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HIGHWAY DIVISION Frank A. Depaola, P.E. Highway Administrator Thomas F. Broderick, P.E. Chief Engineer Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
PRESENT Paul King, Project Manager, MassDOT Mark Gravallese, District 6, MassDOT Robert Bell, Right­of­Way Bureau, MassDOT Sheila Yancy, Right­of­Way Bureau, MassDOT Steve McLaughlin, Project Manager, MassDOT Paul Godfrey, Associate Vice President, HNTB Gary McNaughton, Traffic Engineer, McMahon Associates A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
SPEAKER INDEX Name Kate Fichter Page 8, 36, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 46, 47, 48, 50, 51, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 62, 63, 65, 66, 69, 70, 71, 73, 74, 75, 77, 78, 79, 81, 82, 83, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 96, 98, 99, 101, 103, 104, 105, 107, 108, 109, 111, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130 Paul King 9, 13, 134, 127, 128, 129, 130 Robert Bell 12 Paul Godfrey 14, 17, 45, 49, 62, 72, 129, 133 Unidentified Speaker 17, 38, 39, 49, 71, 72, 81, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 136, 137 Nate 17 A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
SPEAKER INDEX Name Page 39 Jeffrey Ferris 40 Cecilia Cobb 42 David Hannon 43 Mary Hickle 46 Nathaniel Fink 47 Peg Peeble 48, 49 Peter Thomson 50 Tom Jacobson 52, 53 Mike Trepanier 53, 71, 72, 77, 78, 80, 81, Karen Wepsic 85, 89, 96, 99, 103, 107, 108, 118, 122, 124, 129, 130, 131, 132 Tod Consentino 54 Beth Worell 55 Nancy Hanifin 57 Steve McLaughlin 58, 126, 133, 138 Linn McSweeney 58, 59 Chase Bellingham 60 Jerry OConnor 63 Mary Goessling 65 A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
SPEAKER INDEX Name Page George Kordan 66 John Spears 67 Mark Tedrow 68 Ethan Fleming 69 Jonathan Baker 70 Pete Stidman 73, 74 Quiram 74 Edith Buhs 75, 77 Martha Rollins 77, 78 Kevin Maloney 79, 80, 81 Barry Steinberg 81, 82, 83 Gary McNaughton 82, 88, 91, 98, 123 Bernard Doherty 83, 85 Nina Aronomf 85 Kate Hutchinson 87, 89 Mark Kabakoff 89 Christine Potts 90, 92 Jonathan McCurdy 92 Dana Keene 93 Jessica Mink 94, 96 Keith Desoto 96, 98 A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
SPEAKER INDEX Name Page 98, 99 Julie Crawford 99, 101 Elizabeth Charney 101 Laura Barr 103 Melissa Santley 104 Ann McKinnon 105, 107, 108 Jack Odell 108 Alan Ihrer 110, 111 Judy Teitelman 111, 113 Kim Everett 113 Nina Brown 114, 115 Robin Maxfield 116 Heather Carito 117, 118 John Allen 118, 120 Fontana 120 Bill Reyelt 121, 122 Tom Bertus 123, 124 Martin Bernert 124 Cam Wilson 126 Sarah Buermann 127 Russell Holmes 128, 133, 136, 137, 138 John Levitt A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 EXHIBITS
Description Page
Project Brochure 140 ­ 151 Sign­In Sheet 152 A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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8 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 P R O C E E D I N G S 2 3 KATE FICHTER: Hello everybody, welcome. 4 Thank you so much for coming out tonight. My name is 5 Kate Fichter; I am the Manager of Long­Range Planning. 6 Thank you so much everybody for coming out on such a 7 dismal evening. This is the preliminary Design Hearing 8 for the Casey Arborway Project. Again, my name is Kate 9 Fichter; I am the Manager of Long­Range Planning at the 10 11 Massachusetts Department of Transportation. I am joined up here tonight by a number 12 of people who have been working on this project for 13 several years. I also recognize many faces in the 14 audience who often visit us on this journey as well as 15 new folks. So welcome particularly to you. I am going 16 to turn it over the microphone now to Paul King, one of 17 the Project Managers for the Casey Arborway Project. 18 Because this is a preliminary design hearing this is 19 somewhat different from some of the other public 20 meetings we have done for the Casey Project. 21 This is a legally required structured 22 event that we have to do in a particular way. I am 23 sorry if it feels a little funny. Just bear with us as 24 we go through the steps. We will get as quickly as we A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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9 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 can to the public comment portion of the evening which 2 we really want to give the bulk of the time to. 3 You will hear us say this again, but I 4 will say it right at the outset. We have this room 5 until ten. We want to respect the folks who work at the 6 school here, so we really do want to be out of here by 7 ten. So we are going to keep moving it along. Just as 8 I say bare with us as we go through the formalities at 9 the beginnings and we will get to the comments as soon 10 11 as we can. Here is Paul King. PAUL KING: Good evening ladies and 12 gentleman. Again, as Kate stated we have had several 13 public meetings in the past. This is our legally 14 required public hearing. We have to follow a few 15 formalities but other than that there will be a 16 presentation. You will be allowed to come and comment 17 and all of that but we just have to go through a few 18 formalities as we are required to. 19 Again, my name is Paul King, I am the 20 Project Manager for the project to be presented this 21 evening. I am assigned to the Accelerated Bridge 22 Section, which is located at the Massachusetts 23 Department of Transportation’s Highway Division 24 headquarters in Boston. I was directed by Chief A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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10 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 Engineer, Thomas Broderick, to conduct tonight’s 2 hearing. 3 Once the hearing is completed this 4 evening, the attendance sheet will become a part of the 5 official public record for the hearing. So, if you 6 would like your attendance at this hearing to be part of 7 the public record, please sign in on the sign in sheet 8 located in the lobby right before the doors coming in. 9 Make sure you fill that out. There are handouts 10 containing info on this hearing and details regarding 11 this project next to the sign in sheet. So again, be 12 sure to sign in if you want to be part of the public 13 record and get yourself a handout. 14 First, I would like to introduce the 15 members of the hearing panel. We have Mark Gravallese 16 who is our representative from MassDOT District 6 which 17 the project falls under. We have Robert Bell and Sheila 18 Yancy from the MassDOT Right of Way Section. They will 19 get up later and talk about the right­of­way roles and 20 implications to the project. We have Mr. Tom Rovero our 21 representative from the MBTA here with us tonight. We 22 have several member of DCR, representatives of DCR as 23 well in the back of the audience. If you can wave 24 there. We have our consultant representatives here, Mr. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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11 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 Paul Godfrey from HNTB who will be presenting. Gary 2 McNaughton from McMahon Associates who is the Traffic 3 Engineer. Then we have Tammy Hillery of Arlington 4 Typing and Mailing. She should be making a verbatim 5 transcript of tonight’s hearing. Again, this is an 6 official legal proceeding and we will have a word by 7 word transcript created. 8 9 The notice of this public hearing appeared in the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald on 10 February 13 and February 20, of this year. It also 11 appeared in the JP Gazette in English and Spanish and 12 the Dorchester Haitian Reporter in Creole on February 13 15, and published in the West Roxbury/Roslindale 14 Transcript and Mattapan/Dorchester Reporter on February 15 7. 16 I would also like to note that we have 17 representatives from the Office of Representatives 18 Sanchez, Representative Myers Office, and Reprehensive 19 of Senator Chang­Diaz in attendance as well. If anyone 20 came in after that, I missed feel free to recognize 21 yourself. 22 A copy of this notice is also included in 23 the handout, and will be attached to our final hearing 24 transcript. Page four of this handout explains the A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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12 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 purpose of the hearing which gives us an opportunity to
2 make a formal presentation of the project and at the
3 same time allows us to record your input regarding the
4 project for the public record.
5 Construction funding for the project is 6 Accelerated Bridge Program funding. Complete state 7 money. The total estimated cost of the project is 8 $53,960,000 at the current time. This does not include 9 any right­of­way acquisition costs if there are any. The 10 design is expected to be completed this fall the fall of 11 2013 and construction is expected to begin next spring, 12 the spring of 2014 and be completed in the fall around 13 September 2016. 14 At this time, I would like to ask our
15 Right­of­Way Representative, Robert Bell, to explain to
16 you the Right­of­Way procedure.
17 ROBERT BELL: Good evening, my name is 18 Robert Bell and I represent the Right­of­Way Bureau of 19 the MassDOT Highway Division. The Right­of­ Way Bureau 20 is responsible for acquiring all the necessary rights in 21 private and public lands for the design, construction 22 and implementation of this project. 23 24 Affected property owners will be
contacted by personnel by the Right­of­Way Bureau or
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13 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 consultants representing MassDOT Highway Division. The
2 procedures used must comply with State and Federal
3 regulations governing the acquisition process.
4 The current design plan indicates that
5 fee takings and permanent easements may or will be
6 required. Other areas will also require temporary
7 construction easements.
Affected property owners rights are 8 9 protected under our Massachusetts General Laws, 10 primarily Chapter 79. If a project is receiving federal 11 funds, the property owner’s rights are further defined 12 under Title III of the Real Property Acts of 1970, as 13 amended. I will be happy to answer any general
14 15 questions regarding the right­of­way activities during
16 the open forum. I will be available after the public
17 hearing for any specific questions you may have. Thank
18 you.
19 PAUL KING: Thank you, Robert. Now we
20 will get right in to the presentation. Paul Godfrey of
21 HNTB will now present MassDOT’s project in detail for
22 you. I ask that you hold your questions or comments
23 until he completes the full presentation and then we
24 will open the hearing to the public. Thank you.
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14 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 PAUL GODFREY: Thank you, Paul. Good
2 evening everybody. Again, thanks for coming out on a
3 wet and rainy evening. My name is Paul Godfrey. I am
4 the Project Manager for the consultant team currently
5 preparing the design for the Casey Arborway Project.
6 As was noted with the identification of
7 the different agencies who are here this evening, I
8 think it is important to note before we begin the
9 presentation that really this project for MassDOT is a
10 partnership. It is a partnership for many reasons
11 primarily because there are a lot of different agencies
12 involved in a very small area.
13 MassDOT is the owner of the Casey 14 Overpass. They are also the designer and they will be 15 the constructor of the new project that is being 16 displayed here this evening. The MBTA is obviously the 17 owner and operator of the Forest Hills T Station and the 18 transit facilities in and around. DCR is the owner of 19 the surface roadways and the signals in the proximity of 20 the project. The City of Boston owns some of the 21 adjacent roadways in the project area and also maintains 22 the signals. 23 24 So again, this is a partnership. The folks that you have seen here this evening that stood up A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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15 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 and acknowledge themselves have been involved in this 2 project for a number of months and longer. I know many 3 of you this evening have heard a lot about this project. 4 I know many of you here this evening have been 5 intimately involved in this project but again, as 6 required we are going to provide a high­level overview 7 of the project and the construction of the project. 8 Hopefully, my presentation will last no longer than 15 9 or 20 minutes. I will try to hit the high points. 10 Again, there will certainly be opportunity following the 11 presentation for any questions or comments that you may 12 have. 13 Let’s start with the project area. The 14 map on the screen in front of you is our project area. 15 Just to orient everybody the red dot on the top of the 16 map is north. This evening as I describe the 17 presentation I will describe things as east, west, north 18 and south. Hopefully, that will help you as we 19 orientate through the project area. 20 The project area is essentially the area 21 in the yellow. Running west to east through the project 22 area is the Arborway. The bridge in this immediate area 23 is the Casey Overpass. Again, the project area the area 24 in which we are designing to and which the preliminary A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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16 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 plans have been developed for are the areas in the 2 yellow. Other landmarks in the area include Franklin 3 Park, Forest Hills Cemetery, Shea Circle, the 4 courthouse, Arborway Yard, Forest Hills T Station and 5 the Arnold Arboretum. 6 One of the primary challenges that this 7 project presents an opportunity to address is the 8 existing surface street network. Today where the bridge 9 is built if you were traveling on the surface street 10 network, meaning the roadway underneath the bridge it is 11 not necessarily a direct path to get to where you want 12 to go. 13 The red dots that are appearing on the 14 screen are the paths you might take if you were coming 15 down South Street, turning left and then turning right 16 onto the Arborway and then continuing east. As you can 17 see because of the existence of the Casey Overpass 18 Bridge, it is not necessarily a direct route. Other 19 surface streets are also redirected as a result of the 20 bridge overpass itself. So again, part of the 21 opportunity with this project is to address and make 22 better connections. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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17 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Excuse me, Paul, I 2 can’t see the map. Is it possible to turn the lights 3 down? 4 5 PAUL GODFREY: My good friend, can we do
that?
6 NATE: These are, I believe all the
7 lights that we can switch off. Some of them are in a
8 locked cabinet.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Sorry to interrupt 9 10 you.
11 NATE: That’s okay.
12 PAUL GODFREY: That’s okay.
13 NATE: We have already shut down almost
14 15 everything in the back. PAUL GODFREY: Let me know if you need me 16 to point out anything more specific. Again, the 17 opportunity at hand with the alternative that is being 18 designed is having the opportunity to make more direct 19 connections. Again, that is really a key opportunity 20 that this project presents. This graphic is very simple 21 but again it presents the mindset that is being brought 22 forward as we look at this overall project in detail. 23 In your handout you will find an 8 ½ by
24 11 colored image of the image that is on this screen.
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18 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 You can look at it. You can refer to it if it a little 2 more easier to read rather than what is up on the 3 screen. This image on the screen is the Casey Arborway 4 Project. We will be looking at several close­ups of 5 this image in the next coming slides. Essentially, what 6 I would like to do now is just again; orient everybody 7 as to where we are. Again, north is at the top, so this 8 image is oriented the same as the aerial that you saw 9 before. 10 The project which is an at­grade roadway 11 solution removes the Casey Overpass Bridge brings all 12 the roadways down onto the surface onto the surface 13 streets. The Arborway here runs east to west. Again, 14 major landmarks that are here are Shea Square, Franklin 15 Park, the Arborway Gardens, Courthouse, Arborway Yard, 16 Southwest Corridor Park, and Arnold Arboretum. So 17 again, this is a general overview of the project itself. 18 Several of the elements that you see in 19 this preliminary design were actually elements that came 20 forward as part of the Working Advisory Group or the WAG 21 process that was held during the planning process. 22 Those elements include Shea Square, the upper level bus 23 way. It is important that the public process be held 24 because things like this is important that public input A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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19 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 as you can see will guide or has helped guide us in 2 terms of what the project is defined as today. 3 So let’s take a closer look at the 4 project and the key elements of the project itself. We 5 will start on the westerly edge of the project just off 6 the map to the west is the Casey Arborway. It is a 7 four­lane roadway, two lanes in each direction. The 8 black circles with little spokes coming off of them are 9 going to be the signalized intersections that will exist 10 in the project area following completion of 11 construction. 12 There will be signalized intersections 13 here at the Arborway with Washington Street and Hyde 14 Park. There will be a signalized intersection, as it 15 exists here with the parking lot and the lower busway. 16 Signalized intersection here with the Arborway and South 17 Street and Washington Street. A signalized intersection 18 here with South Street and Washington Street and a new 19 signalized intersection here at our first key element 20 that we call a median U­turn. 21 A median U­turn is just that. It is an 22 opportunity for vehicles that are traveling west along 23 the Arborway to turn around and be able to access other 24 roadways such as Washington Street and Hyde Park Avenue. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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20 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 The reason the median U­turn is present in this project 2 is in order to have traffic operations remain in an 3 optimum provide an opportunity to limit the cross 4 section of the roadway to be able to provide appropriate 5 pedestrian and bicycle crossing times. 6 A key element of this project is the 7 introduction of the western median U­turn. Traffic that 8 now today may be coming westerly on the Arborway and 9 turning left here will now travel past the intersection, 10 turn safely around at this location via traffic signal 11 and then either turn right into Washington, right onto 12 Hyde Park or continue east on the Arborway. 13 The median U­turn is designed to 14 accommodate all anticipated vehicles. It is designed to 15 accommodate all vehicles up to a tractor trailer, 16 however even though it is designed to accommodate a 17 tractor trailer we are anticipating the amount of truck 18 traffic that may use that U­turn will be very low and 19 very limited. 20 Other elements here relative to other 21 modes include the great opportunity to introduce new 22 pedestrian and bicycle networks. The blue line that 23 runs along the Southside of the Arborway is an off­
24 street bicycle path. The off­street bicycle path will A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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21 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 essentially begin at the western median U­turn; it will 2 run along across Washington Street, across Hyde Park and 3 continue easterly along the Arborway. 4 Parallel and adjacent to it is a 5 pedestrian sidewalk, again accommodating both pedestrian 6 and bicycles separately. There is also a bicycle path 7 that begins along the northerly side of the Arborway 8 here. It runs easterly along the north side of the 9 Arborway. It also connects here to the Southwest 10 Corridor Park. All of the signalized intersections 11 opportunities and design currently for both bicycle and 12 pedestrian crossing areas, again so these modes of 13 transportation can cross safely at these locations. 14 Another key element of the project is the 15 proposed headhouse that would be located on the north 16 side of the Arborway. The headhouse is a technical term 17 that we use but it is essentially it is the access point 18 to the orange line platform underneath. Currently that 19 headhouse exists here today underneath the existing 20 Casey Overpass. Because we are tearing down the bridge 21 above, because we are replacing it with an at­grade 22 roadway this headhouse needs to be relocated. This is 23 an optimum location in our opinion because it provides 24 an opportunity for people coming from South Street, A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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22 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 coming down or to and from Washington Street to access 2 this headhouse going out into and onto the Orange line 3 platform without having to cross over the Arborway. 4 Same thing if you are exiting coming out you won’t have 5 to cross over the Arborway again. A key feature that we 6 think is very important in the project. 7 As we move easterly along the project 8 area, again, going from west to east the Arborway will 9 be six lanes here. As we get to what is now our 10 easterly U­turn similar to the westerly U­turn. If you 11 are traveling easterly along the Arborway and you want 12 to – if you are traveling eastbound on the Arborway and 13 you want to turn left onto either South Street or 14 Washington Street you will now come down and access this 15 easterly median U­turn. Wait safely for the signal to 16 turn green, travel back and either turn right on the 17 Washington, right on the South or continue westbound on 18 the Arborway. 19 Another signalized intersection that we 20 have here is the Shea Square. This is the conversation 21 of the existing Shea Circle into the Shea Square. A 22 number of alternatives were evaluated at this location. 23 Shea Square is the safest. It is a combination of both 24 the safest and best traffic operation alternative that A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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23 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 was brought forward. Another key element that it 2 provides is all the existing green space that is 3 contained within Shea Circle today and pretty much 4 inaccessible the redesign to a traditional signalized 5 four­way intersection allows us the opportunity to now 6 incorporate and use green space around it. We will have 7 more slides on green space in a moment. 8 9 Again, a signalized intersection here at Shea Square. You will be able to make turns here coming 10 eastbound on the Arborway. Take double left turns here 11 and as you also see we have the continuation of both the 12 off­street bicycle path and the pedestrian sidewalk on 13 both sides of the Arborway. 14 The final focus map that we will show 15 today of the overall project is the area along 16 Washington Street. As part of the project Washington 17 Street will be four­lanes from Ukraine Way all the way 18 up to the Arborway. We’ve already noted the traffic 19 signal here with South Street. 20 The opportunities that this project also 21 presents is an opportunity to consolidate bus operations 22 and improve T operations by the relocation of the Route 23 39 bus which currently exists here to what we are 24 calling the new upper level busway. Now instead of A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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24 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 having three busways within the area of Forest Hills 2 Station there will now be two. It is an expanded upper 3 busway. There are currently two busways today. There 4 will now be three bus areas for loading and unloading. 5 This area is located here. As buses exit, the facility 6 there will be a traffic signal here so that they can 7 safely exit the facility without conflicting with 8 traffic that is along Washington Street. The Route 39 9 bus will be able to make the right turn directly here 10 onto Washington Street and heading out towards South 11 Street. 12 Looking at our other modes again, we have 13 the continuation of the off­street bicycle path here on 14 both sides of Washington Street. At the point here 15 around where the signalized intersection for the upper 16 level bus way is it turns into a multi­use path which is 17 indicated in the purple here. This will be an area 18 where both bicycles and pedestrians will co­exist within 19 the same physically identified area. 20 Focusing a little more on the Route 39 21 bus, really the opportunity came about because of the 22 discussion during the WAG and DAG process about taxis 23 along Washington Street. Today taxis exist along 24 Washington Street and as many know, there is limited A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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25 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 area for them to queue up and store. Sometimes they are 2 double­parked. The opportunity at hand is to relocate 3 all taxis to this area here. It is adding a number of 4 spaces for them to store. Most importantly as they 5 operate and they pick up a patron they will be able to 6 safely go in any direction depending on where the patron 7 goes. 8 9 Today we know and acknowledge and see that they are making u­turns doing things that perhaps 10 we might not want them or want them to do. The other 11 opportunity with this expanded upper busway is we are 12 providing additional storage for additional transit 13 buses in the future. It is a common theme – it is a 14 common message that everybody is anticipating that there 15 is going to be more buses in the future. I necessarily 16 I agree with that. I think it is a good opportunity to 17 look at options where we can provide additional storage 18 for buses and that is being done here. We have 19 additional storage for buses in each of these lanes and 20 there will be additional space for drop­off and pick­up 21 along the new Route 39 bus bay. 22 I spoke earlier about another opportunity 23 this project brings and that is for the enhancement and 24 the addition of a sizeable amount of public open space. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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26 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 I am going to speak specifically to three areas of 2 primary focus. I have touched upon one already and that 3 is the area around Shea Square. Again, the existing 4 Shea Circle has green space and trees within the current 5 center of the rotary; it is not an area that is 6 essentially accessible. By bringing in and providing a 7 signalized intersection, we are able to create green 8 space useable green space all around this location. It 9 makes a nice connection to the Franklin Park area, 10 11 Forest Hills Cemetery and the Arborway Gardens. As you will also see is evident by the 12 great amount of green along here this project brings 13 great opportunity for enhanced green space all along the 14 Arborway. Another area of focus is Southwest Corridor 15 Park. There is a sizeable area here right at the 16 terminus to the Southwest Corridor Park to really 17 connect, to really create that logical terminus and that 18 connection to the existing Southwest Corridor Park. 19 I would like to take this opportunity to 20 thank DCR. They have invited us to be part of their 21 PMAC meetings which are really looking to look at these 22 types of areas and that they are very focused and very 23 interested in this design and how we can integrate it 24 with the overall Southwest Corridor Park. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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27 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 The last focus area is Forest Hills
2 Station itself. Again, I am sure many of you are very
3 familiar with it. Again, this design provides great
4 opportunity to enhance the space and the area around
5 Forest Hills Station. Additional hard­scape, soft­
6 scape, improved areas where bicycles and pedestrians
7 interact and connect will all be part of the overall
8 design of this enhanced public open space area.
9 That is giving you a very high­level 10 overview of the project as it is currently designed. I 11 would also like to take a few minutes to speak to you 12 about the overall construction staging. How the project 13 will be built, how long it will take, when you might 14 expect changes to begin. 15 As Paul noted earlier we anticipate that
16 construction will begin in the spring of 2014. This
17 project as it is currently designed is likely to take
18 about 2 ½ years for construction. That will conclude
19 somewhere in the fall of 2016.
20 The bridge, the Casey Overpass Bridge,
21 will close to traffic likely sometime in the summer of
22 2014. We looked at numerous ways to try to keep one
23 direction of traffic opened perhaps for an extended
24 period of time but frankly the way the bridge is built,
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28 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 the way the condition that it is today, it does not 2 allow us that opportunity. So essentially, when the 3 bridge closes, it closes. It will no longer be open to 4 traffic at that time in the summer of 2014. 5 Before we can begin to take traffic off 6 the bridge, the first thing we need to do is construct a 7 temporary roadway. An area north of the existing 8 Arborway that runs parallel to the Arborway will need to 9 be constructed in order to allow traffic to be shifted 10 to the overpass to be able to operate while construction 11 is ongoing. If you haven’t had a chance to as you leave 12 this evening perhaps you can take a look at the 13 construction staging plans that are placed out on the 14 tables out in the lobby. 15 One of the other things that need to be 16 done before the bridge can come down is again; the 17 existing Route 39 bus stop is located underneath the 18 bridge. That will need to be relocated to a temporary 19 busway in the same approximate location as the new upper 20 busway is. Also, that impacts the existing Orange line 21 headhouse and vent grates which are also located 22 underneath the bridge. 23 24 So what is our overall schedule? Well, there is a lot that has been done. There is still a A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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29 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 fair amount to do. Tonight we are here to talk about 2 the preliminary design. That is where the big arrow is 3 showing us flashing. Immediately following tonight’s 4 hearing we will continue to dive headlong into what is 5 our next level of design which is our detailed level of 6 design, taking the current plan, adding more depth, 7 adding more detail, adding more information. We 8 anticipate that the detailed design plans will be 9 completed sometime in the spring of 2014. Final plans, 10 the plans that go out to contractors to be bid and 11 advertised are currently anticipated to be completed 12 this fall. 13 As Paul noted earlier, construction is 14 anticipated to begin in the early spring of 2014. It is 15 important to note and is evident on the screen we do 16 anticipate – MassDOT does anticipate that there will be 17 numerous construction manager meetings. It is always 18 important to keep the public informed as to what 19 activities are coming, answer questions as they go 20 along, give folk’s information as to how construction 21 process may be unfolded. 22 So where are we in the design process? 23 Again, preliminary design is nearly complete. How do we 24 complete it? We take comment from this evening. We A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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30 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 look at that comment. We see how it might impact or 2 change the current design that is at hand. As we are 3 doing that ­­ the preliminary design for us is really 4 identifying some really key and specific things roadway 5 and curb location that is one of the things that we try 6 to nail down in preliminary design. Traffic signal 7 phasing and timing, how will the traffic operate, how 8 will it be sequenced, what queues and what levels of 9 service will come about. Again, wanting to make sure 10 11 that we understand that to a full degree. As part of the preliminary design 12 process, we had a MEPA hearing that was held back in 13 December. I know many of you were here for that. The 14 outcome for that is that a MEPA Certificate was issued. 15 It was a finding that there was no environmental impact 16 report that was going to be required. That MEPA 17 Certificate has been acquired. That is also a 18 requirement of the preliminary design process. 19 As we move forward into detail design, 20 again, we put more meat on the bones. We add more depth 21 and detail to the project. This is going to include 22 some very specific and very key elements that I am going 23 to touch upon in a moment. Really, it gives us the A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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31 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 opportunity to advance the design to a much greater 2 stage. 3 Finally, final PSE, final plan 4 specifications and that is the bid package that is then 5 presented, advertised and given to contractors for them 6 to bid on to do the project. As we continue the design, 7 there are some elements that we are very focused on. We 8 are working very hard on that we will be getting out to 9 the design advisory group and ultimately to the public 10 at the 75% design hearing. Again, that will continue 11 the depth in detail. 12 Open space and landscaping. Again, there 13 have been limited details developed to date that is 14 quickly changing. Again, getting a better sense of the 15 elements, the limits of hard­scape verses soft­scape. 16 One of our urban designers is here he is in the lobby. 17 His name is Don, he would love to talk to you about open 18 space and landscaping. Please ask him. 19 Signalization details and roadway 20 configurations again will be more formalized. What is 21 the phasing and timing? What will the ultimate 22 pedestrian timings be? How much timing will they be 23 given for pedestrians as they cross the different 24 roadways? A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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32 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 Parking and pick­up and drop­off again, 2 this is a great opportunity through this project to more 3 formalize, make improvements, get better organization 4 for the pick­ups and drop­offs and the parking that 5 occur in and around the Forest Hills T Station area. 6 This includes people dropping off, school buses, the bus 7 to the Shattuck Hospital, a great opportunity to make 8 improvements there. 9 Non­peak design variations, what the heck 10 is that? Well, one of the things that we are looking at 11 and carefully considering is that perhaps outside of 12 peak commuting periods can we do things with traffic 13 signal and phasing that might allow some turns that may 14 be restricted during peak commuting times to occur. 15 That evaluation is being considered. We are going to 16 look closely to that again, certainly, where the 17 opportunity presents itself we think there is value in 18 being able to bring that as part of the overall design 19 plan. 20 There will be significant storm water and 21 water quality improvements. The upper busway along 22 Washington Street, we will continue to add depth and 23 detail. How big will the canopy be over the upper 24 busway? What will it look like? Is it a single canopy? A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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33 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 Is it a multiple canopy? Will we need headlight walls? 2 Will we need noise walls? How will we look at different 3 these different things? That will be evaluated in more 4 detail at the next stage. 5 Shea Square and Morton Street again, we 6 have a good preliminary design more depth and detail 7 needs to be added to those elements as well. 8 Construction staging and traffic management, currently 9 we have two preconstruction stages and five construction 10 stages by the time we are done we will probably be 11 somewhere in 25 to 30 stages as to how the project will 12 be built. This is a very busy area. This is a very 13 complex project. It will require careful development of 14 construction staging plans that minimizes the impact to 15 the area residents, the area businesses, and the folks 16 traveling through in all modes. 17 Green design elements things like LED 18 lighting in and around the parkways will be incorporated 19 and certainly, a key element of this project will be a 20 maintenance and operation plan. Everybody remembers the 21 snowstorm from a couple weeks ago, snow removal that is 22 a key part of this project. Things are changing in 23 terms of how this area looks. So what we are currently 24 working on we are going to bring to folks is how is the A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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34 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 maintenance and operation plan going to pan out. Who is 2 going to be responsible for snow plowing, mowing, litter 3 control, maintenance of signals, and maintenance of the 4 roadway? I am understating it when I say it is a 5 complex area with a lot of parts and pieces. We are 6 looking at taking a very straightforward simplified 7 approach. We think we have a good plan we are going to 8 continue to work with the agencies in developing that 9 overall plan. 10 At this time, I would like to turn it 11 back over to Paul King to reaffirm the overall public 12 comment process, Paul. 13 PAUL KING: Thank you, Paul. Before we 14 move on, I would like to recognize in addition to the 15 folks that I mentioned earlier Representatives from your 16 councilors offices of Matt O’Malley and Felix Arroyo are 17 in attendance as is Representative Russell Holmes. 18 The plans presented tonight are at 25% 19 design level, a high preliminary level and they are not 20 complete by any means. The next step will be to review 21 the comments we receive tonight, advance the design, and 22 complete the plans for advertising and eventual 23 construction. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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35 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 Before we open up the hearing, I just 2 need to explain a couple of things with the hearing 3 procedure. As stated previously the purpose of this 4 hearing is to solicit your input regarding this project. 5 As the plans are not fully complete, we may not be able 6 to answer all your questions or respond to all your 7 comments fully but we will do that to the best of our 8 ability. 9 Next, we ask that anyone who wishes to 10 have his or her comments entered into the official 11 hearing transcript to please stand up, identify yourself 12 by name and affiliation, if you are an abutter, a local 13 official, or just a concerned citizen and spell your 14 last name. We have some difficulty sometimes getting 15 the names correct, so we need you to spell that. This 16 is necessary in order for us to obtain a full official 17 verbatim transcript that we are required to by law. 18 The last sheet of the handout is a mail­
19 in sheet, if you have any questions or comments that you 20 would like to submit in writing, please use this sheet 21 for that purpose. You may leave the sheet with me or 22 anyone here tonight or you may mail it to the department 23 or email it to the address provided in the handout. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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36 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 That has to be done within ten days of this date and it 2 will become part of the official record. 3 So finally, before we get started it is 4 normal procedure that we will ask any elected officials 5 or public officials the opportunity to offer their 6 comments first. So if there are any federal or state or 7 local officials who would like to speak or have any 8 comment of question, please raise your hand. 9 Okay, well the hearing is now open to the 10 public and we are going to welcome your questions and 11 comments. Kate is going to go through a couple of the 12 ground rules because again, we have a lot of people, 13 limited time and we want to make sure we give everybody 14 an opportunity. So we are trying to formalize the 15 procedure so that we can give everybody a chance. 16 KATE FICHTER: Hello again everybody. So 17 the first thing is if you do want to speak this evening 18 you need to have a number. So if you want to speak and 19 you didn’t get one, please head back out to the front 20 desk in the lobby and they will make sure that you get 21 one. The way that we are going to do this tonight is we 22 have two microphones here in the aisles. I am going to 23 ask people to come up in groups of five so we will try 24 to go through people fairly quickly. Each person will A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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37 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 get two minutes. Mike here is the timekeeper, he will 2 raise his hand when you have hit the minute point and 3 then he will stop you with the two minutes. I really do 4 need to ask people to be respectful of that time limit. 5 If you go over all you’re doing is cutting into other 6 peoples time and we do want to make sure that we hear 7 from everybody this evening. 8 9 Just a couple of ground rules. Also, people sometimes asked me what makes a good or effective 10 public comment. In addition to giving the information 11 that Paul mentioned about your name, particular spelling 12 your last name, it is most helpful to us if you really 13 focus your comments on this design that we presented 14 tonight. You don’t have to. The two minutes are yours 15 you can use them however you want. In terms of trying 16 to influence, the design we are showing it is really 17 helpful if you try to comment tangibly on the idea and 18 concepts that we showed here. 19 Also, just very basic stuff we ask that 20 you be respectful of other people’s ideas and comments. 21 Everybody’s comments are equally valid. Everybody gets 22 their two minutes they don’t need booing, they don’t 23 need clapping. We just want to try to run this as 24 civilly as possible. We want to make sure everyone gets A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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38 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 a chance to be heard and get home at a reasonable hour. 2 So unless there are any questions, I think I am going to 3 ask number one through five – yes ma’me. 4 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: You said that 5 there would be questions and he talked as if the design 6 was already decided and I want a new bridge. So why 7 does he talk as if it is already decided that there is 8 not going to be a bridge? 9 KATE FICHTER: The point where we are in 10 the process is to talk about this design which is the 11 design not for a bridge. We have been working on this 12 for more than a year at this point. Again, when you 13 come up to give your comments you can comment on 14 whatever you like, say whatever you like, but the 15 specifics of tonight are to get comments on this design. 16 So I am going to ask number one through 17 five, please to come down here. Number six to ten over 18 to this microphone. Also, if you took a number and you 19 changed your mind don’t feel any obligation, just stay 20 seated when your number comes and we will go on to the 21 next. I will start with Karen. 22 23 24 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: To the best of your knowledge, how many numbers have been taken? KATE FICHTER: About seventy. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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39 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Seventy­five. 2 KATE FICHTER: Seventy­five, okay. Thank 3 you. 4 5 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Are you going to stay for everyone to speak? 6 7 KATE FICHTER: We will stay until ten. We have to leave the school at ten. 8 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Thank you. 9 KAREN WEPSIC: Hello, my name is Karen 10 Wepsic. I am on the MBTA Rider Oversight Committee. In 11 general, I support the project as it was outlined 12 tonight. I am concerned that transit will be 13 shortchanged in this design. The elongation of the 14 upper busway and the relocation of the 39 bus will have 15 an adverse effect on transit. It will make the bus 16 terminals further away from the connection to both the 17 Orange Line and the lower bus way making transfers more 18 onerous. 19 The Route 39 will have an increase in 20 trip time. Currently folks who use the upper busway 21 wait inside the station out of inclement weather. This 22 may not be possible with the new upper busway 23 configuration. At mitigation, I would ask that a next 24 bus kiosk be placed where people can see it in the upper A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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40 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 busway and also one included for the lower busway inside 2 Forest Hills Station. 3 This such kiosk was at Ruggles and it no 4 longer functions so what I would say is there must also 5 be a maintenance plan for any kiosk. Thank you. 6 7 8 9 KATE FICHTER: Folks please keep coming down as your number comes up. JEFFREY FERRIS: Good evening, my name is Jeffrey Ferris, F­E­R­R­I­S. 51 Cedric Street JP and 10 thirty­year owner of Ferris Wheels Bike Shop. Speaking 11 about design, this is a bad design. It can’t be 12 tweaked. It needs to be thrown out. It is a 13 complicated house of cards, it continues to fall apart. 14 It was bad a year ago and it has gotten worse. The 15 number of travel lanes going through six and seven in 16 places, the loss of on­street bike lanes, lengthening of 17 the 39 bus run, times with the existing loading area. 18 Smaller, safer streets with bike lanes and fewer cars on 19 the ground this is what makes it livable, walkable, 20 bike­friendly neighborhood at Forest Hills and what a 21 new bridge can provide. 22 This design has six through travel lanes 23 on the ground with restricted left turns. A bridge 24 would have only two through travel lanes on the ground A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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41 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 and normal left turns. Again, smaller surface streets, 2 less congestion, less pollution, and stopped traffic. A 3 bridge provides a safer, healthier design. To get 4 people out of cars transit needs to be expanded because 5 this design is eliminating the 39 bus terminal, 6 lengthening its run time. 7 As for bicycles, there are many types of 8 cyclists and many types of cycling accommodation each 9 with its own pros and cons. Despite AASHTO National 10 Design Guidelines clearly stating that off­street paths 11 do not preclude the need for good on­street bike 12 accommodations. This design eliminates bike lanes from 13 the busy critical New Washington Street area due to 14 recognition of the streets excessive width. 15 This section only gets off­street paths 16 with their inherent bike/pedestrian conflicts. With the 17 bridge, not only would there be a few off­street paths 18 but on­street bike lanes and the shared sidewalk on the 19 bridge functioning as a protective cycle track 20 completely bypassing the two major intersections below. 21 The geography lends itself to bridge 22 design because the road is already up high at the 23 Arboretum gate. Although there are numerous examples of 24 locations around the country where the eliminations of A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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42 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 viaducts has improved communities without adverse 2 transportation impacts this would not be one of them. 3 First, this is a bridge not a viaduct. 4 Second, at Forest Hills we have a hub with nine arterial 5 roads converging serving the entire region. All modes 6 work better both locally and regionally with a well 7 designed bridge. One more sentence. Third, there are 8 numerous examples of locations that are creatively used 9 under bridge spaces. Please bring us a new creative 10 design with a bridge that creates an iconic destination 11 of Forest Hills and the multiple transportation benefits 12 we need and deserve. Thank you. 13 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. 14 CECELLA COBB: My name is Cecelia Cobb, 15 C­O­B­B. I am mainly in favor of this at­grade plan. 16 My main concerns have to do with some of the bikeways 17 and the fact there are going to be areas with mix­use 18 with both pedestrian and bikes. I am just a little 19 concerned with that because in previous examples that we 20 have seen in Boston, you know, there is Baxter Street in 21 Cambridge that has a mixed­use path like that and there 22 is a lot of confusion, especially for pedestrians 23 stating to walk in the bikeways and that can obviously 24 lead to unsafe conditions. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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43 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 So, I really want to make sure if that is 2 going to continue in the plan that it is very well 3 marked. There are some sort of differentiation in 4 pavement color or something that really marks it. Even 5 just, you know, an entry to a curb difference would make 6 a large difference in terms of the mixed­use path. 7 The other thing that I am concerned about 8 is having bikes cross at a crosswalk instead of crossing 9 with cars. Just because this is something that can be 10 confusing depending on different places in Boston. I 11 want to make it very very clear that this is where the 12 bikes are supposed to go. This is where they belong and 13 they will not be interfered with. 14 15 16 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. I am going to assume that we don’t have a four and five and go to you. DAVID HANNON: Good evening, my name is 17 David Hannon, H­A­N­N­O­N. I am at 27 Asticou Road. I 18 want to thank everybody here for coming out tonight. We 19 live in a great community and I think no matter what 20 comes out of this we are all going to be here, so we 21 need to work together for the best solution. 22 I personally don’t think the at­grade
23 solution is the one that is going to work best for
24 Forest Hills. The idea of dropping 26,000 cars a day
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44 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 onto the ground is going to be an improvement for
2 pedestrians and bicycles, it just doesn’t make sense.
3 That is pretty much all I am going to say about that.
4 Where I was mostly disturbed about was in 5 the announcement for this meeting the inclusion of this 6 paragraph. A secure right­of­way is necessary for this 7 project. Acquisitions in fee and permanent or temporary 8 easements may be required. We were told during the 9 process – I am also a member of the Working Advisory 10 Group and the Design Advisory Group for this project. 11 We were told that there would be no taking of property 12 for this project that there was more than enough land 13 available for this project. Obviously, there is not 14 enough land or we wouldn’t be talking about easements. 15 I would like to know what that is about. That is the 16 first time it has been mentioned to us that I can 17 remember. 18 The one other thing that I would like to 19 say about the at­grade solution is because of the 20 necessity of so many lanes of traffic on the ground that 21 creates other problems for the community and for the 22 area. Including the movement of the 39 bus, the 23 movement of the vent stacks towards the 24 Asticou/Martinwood/South Street Neighborhood and also A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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45 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 the expansion of the upper bus deck to include all the 2 buses that would be exiting now directly across from 3 Asticou Road. The initial design for the station had 4 the buses exit up at South Street, so they did not exit 5 into a residential neighborhood like the plan is. 6 This is going to be disastrous for our 7 quality of life. It is going to be disastrous for our 8 property values. I mean I am not a real estate baron or 9 anything but I pay and live in this community. This is 10 my community. This is where I have raised my family and 11 I don’t want to see it trashed by a bad design. I think 12 this is a bad design. 13 PAUL GODFREY: I heard one of the 14 questions the gentleman spoke of was the topic of right 15 of way. As the current plans – as the plans currently 16 stand there are no full property takings. Meaning no 17 homes, no residences, no businesses are being taken as 18 part of this project. We do have two types of easements 19 that are being incorporated as part of this project. We 20 have permanent easements which are permanent strip 21 takings of land required as part of the project. We 22 also have temporary easements that will be required as 23 part of construction. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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46 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 For the permanent easements the primary 2 permanent easement that is being taken as part of this 3 project are those areas along the Arborway where the 4 existing sidewalk does not sit within the existing 5 right­of­way. So in order to incorporate the project 6 that right­of­way, that strip of land which is primarily 7 adjacent to the courthouse and the area along the 8 eastern portion of the project will need to be taken. There are also construction easements
9 10 that will need to be taken. The right­of­way process
11 that was described here this evening is just that.
12 There is a right­of­way process. It is the obligation
13 of MassDOT to say that. If you have specific questions
14 about your property and if there may be a permanent or
15 temporary easement taken, we would love to speak to you
16 in the lobby and be happy to point out if that is or is
17 not the case. Thank you.
KATE FICHTER: Thank you, Paul. Yes
18 19 20 ma’me.
MARY HICKIE: Good evening, my name is 21 Mary Hickie, H­I­C­K­I­E. I live at 20 Martinwood Road 22 adjacent to where the project will be. I am in favor of 23 the at­grade solution and the design that you presented 24 tonight. I have some of the same concerns that my A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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47 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 neighbors have about the exiting of the new busway. I 2 think that is an issue but in general I look forward to 3 an at­grade solution to this problem. I think it will 4 benefit our community in the long run. I have 5 participated in both the DAG and WAG processes. I think 6 they have been fair processes. I appreciate what it has 7 done so far and everybody’s participation. So just 8 putting my voice out there as a resident of the 9 Asticou/Martinwood Neighborhood and its association in 10 favor of the at­grade solution. Thank you. 11 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Next please. 12 NATHANIEL FINK: Hello my name is 13 Nathaniel Fink, F­I­N­K. I live at 166 Terrace Street 14 in Roxbury but I am speaking as a former resident of the 15 Forest Hills area as well as a resident of Boston. I 16 think this is a fantastic plan. I thank everyone who 17 put their work into the design. However, I think that 18 the devil is in the details. I think that as someone 19 who personally doesn’t have a car and gets around by 20 biking, walking and riding the T that one of the biggest 21 things that I notice is the complex intersections. 22 So I think that a particular concern 23 should be paid to how paving is worked out giving 24 pedestrians and cyclists more time to cross, considering A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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48 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 a dedicated phase. Considering getting rid of what I 2 think I saw is a dedicated left turn lane on the 3 westbound Arborway and maybe making dedicated right turn 4 lanes so that the u­turning traffic going up to 5 Washington Street won’t queue up and block traffic going 6 straight. That was just one particular thing I noticed. 7 The other thing was a little bit of 8 concern for the multi­use path as you call it, going 9 towards Roslindale. My question would be and I don’t 10 need it answered right now is are cyclists allowed to 11 travel two­ways on that? How long is that right­of­way? 12 What kind of mitigation would it lead to? I am sure 13 that there will be conflicts between bicyclists and 14 pedestrians on that right­of­way. Would cyclists still 15 be allowed on the roadway if they choose to ride it? 16 Other than that that is it. Thank you. 17 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Next please. 18 PEG PREBLE: Peg Preble, P­R­E­B­L­E. 19 Long term resident of the Forest Hills area. I am one 20 of the supporters to putting a bridge back. A lot of 21 times that we were told that the majority of people 22 support not putting the bridge back. I am just curious 23 by a show of hands of the people in here of how many 24 supporters are there to put a bridge back. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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49 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Looks like most. 2 PEG PREBLE: Wow. Okay. I would also 3 like to know this affects more than just Jamaica Plain 4 all of the people passing over that bridge coming from 5 other neighborhoods, I am curious by a show of hands 6 anybody here from Mattapan? Anybody here from Dedham? 7 Anybody here from anywhere other than Jamaica Plain, 8 Roslindale, West Roxbury? That’s good, there are a 9 couple people here. I feel that a lot of the people 10 passing over that bridge are clueless about what is 11 happening there. I am concerned that their opinions are 12 not being met. They have been very good about putting 13 information in Jamaica Plain and the local Jamaica Plain 14 news but we are not the only ones using the bridge. 15 I have one design question for you. 16 Coming out of the area heading back up towards the 17 Arboretum right now there is a steep grade change and 18 the two ramps right now are using it. In our last 19 snowstorm, I watched three cars come down the ramp to 20 the stop light and go right on through. I am wondering 21 if you have any plans about how to deal with that grade 22 change, the grade level change going up and coming down. 23 24 PAUL GODFREY: We do. That is the straightforward answer. The specific grade and how it A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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50 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 compares to today’s grade, the gentleman in the lobby 2 names Jonathan can tell you those numbers exactly. I 3 don’t want to say them off the top of my head because I 4 will probably get them wrong but he would be able to 5 answer your question specifically. 6 KATE FICHTER: What number are you. We 7 are at ten now. Is there a ten? Okay, so eleven 8 through fifteen please come on down here. Are you ten? 9 So eleven through fifteen please come down. Sixteen 10 11 through twenty if you can kind of get ready. PETER THOMSON: Hi my name is Peter 12 Thomson, T­H­O­M­S­O­N, no P. I live on Hampstead Road 13 which is just above Casey. I am a strong supporter of 14 this approach and I look forward to walking under sunny 15 skies or blistering heat or snow or whatever the weather 16 is. Whatever the elements are I look forward to walking 17 in fresh air on my way to the T every morning and back 18 home every evening. 19 I am not a planner but I am a journalist 20 and I follow transit energy, urban planning, 21 transportation and I have a couple of observations on 22 some of the fears that have been expressed around this 23 project. I think that a lot of those fears are over 24 blown but I wanted to speak to a couple. One is on A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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51 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 traffic volumes. I have seen a lot of numbers 2 associated with this plan and also the opponents of the 3 plan put out. I think that actually traffic is not 4 going to grow anywhere near what is anticipated in the 5 next generation. Just based on demographic trends, on 6 transportation, infrastructure and investment plans and 7 a whole lot of things. 8 9 I think the future is going to be different from the past in the regard. More 10 specifically and regardless of the number of vehicles 11 coming through the intersection emissions are absolutely 12 going to drop. The trend in automobile and vehicle 13 transportation is very clearly toward lower admissions 14 approaching zero for a whole lot of reasons mostly 15 environmental and energy reasons. 16 Already hybrid and electric cars are 17 zooming, taking over and that technology is going to be 18 coming on extremely fast and extremely wide spread. I 19 think that emissions are going to go down no matter 20 what. So I am not worried about cars idling at stop 21 signs and polluting the air because that is going to 22 change significantly. 23 24 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. One point I wanted to make also, if you can’t squeeze everything you A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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52 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 want to say into the two minutes, please don’t hesitate
2 to submit your comments in writing as well. You can
3 take up as much space as you want that way and you can
4 get in any ideas that can’t fit tonight.
5 TOM JACOBSON: My name is Tom Jacobson, 6 J­A­C­O­B­S­O­N. I live at 56 Robertson Street. I am a 7 member of the Franklin Park Coalition. I am a frequent 8 user of Franklin Park as well as the Forest Hills 9 Cemetery and all of the Emerald Necklace Parks. I 10 bicycle, I drive, I ride the T, I am celebrating thirty 11 years now of living and boating in Jamaica Plain. I 12 will speak of that later. We have only seen a few of 13 our elected officials here and I am curious about that. I have a specific design comment and a
14 15 general one. Regarding Shea Circle, Shea Circle should
16 not be paved over. Certainly, you can achieve the goal
17 of calming its traffic, making it safe for cyclists and
18 pedestrians and preserving its excellent substantial
19 green space as a jewel in the Emerald Necklace. We’re
20 the entrance to both Franklin Park and the Forest Hills
21 Cemetery.
22 If you redesigned it wisely, you showed
23 us several plans where they were waved at, at the DAG
24 and WAG meeting but you go to Europe and you can see
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53 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 rotaries that are beautifully well. You can calm the
2 traffic and slow the flood of cars to the gridlock that
3 is going to ensue if you do the at­grade past Shea
4 Circle.
5 I like Peg had said earlier, I am tired 6 of hearing about how the neighborhood is behind this 7 plan and there is only a small number of people who are 8 opposed to it. From the show of hands earlier tonight 9 and from the last meeting, it is clear as the meetings 10 progressed as more people hear about this their 11 dissatisfaction with MassDOT’s plan is getting expressed 12 more and more. As we saw, there are very few people 13 here from the other neighborhoods who are the regional 14 drivers who go through without stopping. 15 So I suggest again as more people find 16 out about this they are not going to like it. Speaking 17 to the whole question of these – I think it is time for 18 us who are here and live around here to keep in mind 19 that we are going to have to call our elected officials. 20 MIKE TREPANIER: Sir we are at the mark.
21 TOM JACOBSON: Okay.
22 MIKE TREPANIER: Thank you.
23 KATE FICHTER: Thank you.
24 TOM JACOBSON: Call them.
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54 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 KATE FICHTER: What number are you.
2 TOD CONSENTINO: I am 13.
3 KATE FICHTER: Lucky 13, okay.
4 TOD CONSENTINO: Oh yeah. My name is Tod
5 Consentino, C­O­N­S­E­N­T­I­N­O. I live on the
6 Mattapan/Roslindale line on Annafran Street. I am on
7 the Casey DAG as a representative for the Boston
8 Cyclists Union. I bike through there every day on my
9 way to work. I go twenty­six miles from this end of
10 town to Belmont. My main concern is the snow removal
11 with the winter. The DCR really needs some more
12 equipment to make sure they can tackle it with the
13 current staff. They did a terrific job during the
14 blizzard. They cleared it up really well.
15 On the lesser snowstorms, it was tough.
16 It seems that the snow is left to melt in a lot of
17 places and it is kind of impassible. So that being
18 said, if the paths can’t be clear all the time there
19 needs to be a way for cyclists to travel safely with
20 bike lanes on the road. One way to do that I think as
21 someone commented earlier, traffic has been stagnant in
22 this area for the last seven years. It is not
23 increasing and this plan calls for a large growth in
24 vehicular traffic. It is inviting a lot more traffic
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55 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 than there is actually going to be. I think some of 2 that road space can be claimed by a bike lane. 3 Also, you sent out a memo saying that 4 large turning trucks are going to use the Ukraine Way as 5 a method to diverse the area. The Ukraine Way isn’t 6 really all that wide, so I think they are going to have 7 to cut their turns very tightly. As one on a bicycle 8 that goes over Ukraine Way every day, I don’t want to 9 get run over by one of them. So if you could move the 10 stop line on Ukraine Way back so I don’t get crushed or 11 make a path on the side, so I am out of the roadway when 12 they turn, that would be nice. 13 Also, along Washington Street where those 14 multi­use paths transition into the roadway they kind of 15 just end. They don’t really transition into the 16 roadway. If there could be a smooth transition for 17 those paths for cyclists to get into the roadway, that 18 would be really nice. Thank you. 19 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. 20 BETH WORELL: Hi, I’m Beth Worell, W­O­R­
21 E­L­L. I’m a more than twenty year resident of the 22 Arborway just north of the project site and I am an 23 architect and urban designer. I want to congratulate 24 MassDOT on choosing a very forward thinking solution. I A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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56 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 am strongly in favor of the at­grade solution. I just 2 wanted to address a couple of detailed points. 3 One is during the design phase I would 4 ask that you look at the intersection of the Arborway 5 and South Street, not the Main Arborway but the Carriage 6 Road Arborway because right now that is a difficult 7 intersection. There is no accommodation for cars coming 8 off the small Arborway to turn onto South Street in 9 either direction actually. What I was thinking about 10 was providing a stop line that is farther back from the 11 intersection to allow cars to get in and out of that 12 secondary roadway. 13 At the same time, I’m hoping that during 14 construction which I didn’t get a chance to look at the 15 construction drawings, construction staging drawings. I 16 don’t want our roadway which is now not commonly used by 17 commuters to turn into the commuter roadway. I am not 18 sure how you are going to be able to protect us from the 19 traffic during construction but I would hope that you 20 would take that into consideration. Thank you very 21 much. 22 KATE FICHTER: I would also like to
23 welcome Senator Chang­Diaz who has joined us this
24 evening. Welcome Senator, thank you for coming.
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57 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 NANCY HANIFIN: Hi my name is Nancy 2 Hanifin, H­A­N­I­F­I­N. I am a three decade resident of 3 JP. I cycle everywhere and anywhere I can if I don’t 4 have one of my kids with me. I am not for the at­grade 5 plan. I will state that clearly. I want to echo an 6 earlier comment, my friends in Dorchester, my friends in 7 Milton have no idea what is going on here. 8 9 Another thing the commute to the
university, to the hospitals there will be two new
10 buildings in the hospital area and I don’t think that
11 was taken into consideration for the number of cars
12 coming through.
13 The other thing that I would like to know 14 is about the legality of your plan to take down the 15 bridge. I read the Accelerated Bridge Act, I am not an 16 attorney, but it is for the repair and the replacement 17 of a bridge not a destruction of a bridge. 18 Thirdly, I just wanted to comment on all
19 the prior meetings that we have had you have laid out
20 this beautiful vision and articulated how the flow will
21 go etcetera but not once did we see an esthetically
22 appealing bridge design. We saw a concrete behemoth
23 plunked down in Jamaica Plain and Forest Hills similar
24 to what we have now. If you know anything about
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58 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 Homestead, a hallmark of his design was using bridges. 2 He was awarded that contract in Central Park primarily 3 because his use of bridges to connect various parts of 4 the park and to accommodate three different forms of 5 transportation. 6 If you look at some of Homestead’s bridge 7 designs that still exist in Franklin Park they are 8 gorgeous and not once was the community presented with 9 anything that was appealing. It was just replication of 10 what exists there now. 11 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. I am going to 12 ask Steve McNaughton from MassDOT to address some of 13 that. 14 STEVE MCLAUGHLIN: Hello, I am Steve 15 McLaughlin with MassDOT, Project Manager on the Casey 16 Overpass. We did look into the legality of removing 17 this bridge and having it funded under the Accelerated 18 Bridge Program. The purpose of the program is to remove 19 the number of structurally deficient bridges in the 20 Commonwealth and this will do that. It qualifies for 21 funding under the program. 22 KATE FICHTER: Thank you, Steve. 23 LINN MCSWEENEY: I am actually number 24 eighteen but couldn’t get all the way over there. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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59 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 2 KATE FICHTER: Let’s have the next group of folks come down on either side. 3 LINN MCSWEENEY: Can you hear me? 4 KATE FICHTER: Yes. 5 LINN MCSWEENEY: My name is Linn 6 McSweeney, M­C­S­W­E­E­N­E­Y. I live at 17 Ballard 7 Street by the monument. I have lived in Jamaica Plain 8 for over twenty­five years. I have never owned or 9 driven a car. Obviously when I first came to Jamaica 10 Plain I was a lot younger I walked and biked everywhere. 11 Now I have to walk or take the T. I feel really 12 disenfranchised by this process, so I am going to 13 address my elected officials and thank you, 14 Representative Holmes for coming again and Sonia, 15 wherever you are. 16 I would like to see more of my neighbors 17 heard in this whole process. I wasn’t part of the WAG 18 or the DAG but I certainly was on the 39 bus Committee 19 Citizens Advisory Group. All of our recommendations 20 have been ignored with this new move. It is going to 21 add time to take the 39 to get to Forest Hills which so 22 many people do. It is one of the heavily used buses and 23 I don’t think a seven lane or six lanes is going to be 24 easy for someone like me to cross, someone in a A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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60 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 wheelchair, someone with a stroller. I also have Asthma 2 and I have traveled a lot of these six lane highways 3 that go through neighborhoods as in Commonwealth Avenue 4 and Allston, Melnea Cass. 5 Idling is not going to go away any time 6 soon. I remember the promises of flying cars that would 7 have no pollution. As far as I can see, we are going to 8 have a lot of pollution on street level. It is going to 9 take me forever to cross this six­lane highway and I am 10 going to be asthmatically wheezing by the end of it. 11 So I want my elected officials – I have 12 always voted in Jamaica Plain here to be on notice that 13 this is not a community process. Many of us disagree 14 with it and we have quite valid reasons for doing it. 15 We are not anti­cycling at all. We just feel like we 16 are the neighborhood that’s it. 17 KATE FICHTER: Next. 18 CHASE BILLINGHAM: Good evening, Chase 19 Billingham, B­I­L­L­I­N­G­H­A­M. I am a resident of 20 Asticou Road. I am a member of the 21 Asticou/Martinwood/South Street Neighborhood 22 Association. We have all been here a number of times. 23 In this letter, it says that MassDOT will review all of 24 your comments and where feasible incorporate them into A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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61 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 the design of the project. We have all been here a 2 number of times. Residents of my neighborhood have made 3 a number of feasible and reasonable recommendations, yet 4 the design that I see here is essentially the same 5 design that I saw in October. 6 We made recommendations that were 7 feasible about rerouting the buses in this new upper 8 busway so that they don’t come out pouring lights, noise 9 and pollution into my neighborhood, up my street. We 10 have made recommendations about mitigation, if that is 11 the case of that light and sound proof and aesthetically 12 pleasing barrier. We have asked for meetings with the 13 state police. We have asked for meetings with the MBTA, 14 we have asked for meetings with first responders who 15 currently soar over that bridge on their respond trips 16 to emergencies, and we would like to know if they are 17 eager to be sitting in a whole bunch of new traffic when 18 this bridge is taken down. We have made obviously the 19 very feasible, very reasonable request for a glorious 20 new bridge for Forest Hills. 21 So my specific question about this design 22 is can you speak to some of the mitigation efforts about 23 noise and light coming up Asticou Road if this new upper 24 busway is put into place. Thanks. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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62 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. 2 PAUL GODFREY: For the folks that have 3 been involved this topic has come up a number of times. 4 Specifically at one of the DAG meetings, we presented 5 some concepts that looked at opportunities not only to 6 block out the headlights from the buses that are coming 7 out from the new upper busway, also discussions relative 8 to noise barriers. 9 From a perspective of reality, this is a 10 tricky situation. For most parts, it is a neighborhood 11 decision. Would the neighborhood like a noise wall to 12 block out light and noise? Are they in favor of that? 13 Are they against that? I think I heard because I was at 14 the meeting comments on both sides of the fence. One of 15 the points that I didn’t mention during the presentation 16 that we are going to be having DAG meetings again in 17 March and April. 18 That topic is going to be one of the 19 front and center topics that we are going to come to you 20 with, with thoughts and ideas and look to get feedback 21 and input. The reality is yes, the new upper busway now 22 does exit across from the Asticou Neighborhood. We are 23 looking at reasonable ways as there are done in many A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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63 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 other places to address any noise or light issues that
2 may result from that.
KATE FICHTER: Do we have a number
3 4 seventeen?
5 JERRY O’CONNOR: Yes, I’m Jerry O’Connor. 6 I was against the at­grade solution. Unfortunately, 7 nobody asked me to make the final decision; I don’t know 8 why that happened. I want to address what we are 9 dealing with today. I do encourage you to consider the 10 comments of people who are still advocating for a 11 bridge. I think they are making some great points. 12 However, my concerns have been primarily, 13 are we trying to do something in the space that we don’t 14 have enough room for. Specifically the safety of 15 bicycle travel from South Street to the pond on the 16 Arborway and whether trucks can really make that u­turn 17 at the western u­turn. Now talking to folks tonight, 18 they have given me some interesting information about 19 the redesign that was recently done and appreciate your 20 time taking comments like mine to heart and responding 21 to them. 22 I am at a little bit of a loss because I
23 can’t really evaluate what’s been done and make it a
24 determination as to whether I think that addresses my
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64 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 comments. So my comment remains open. I still 2 personally need to be convinced that a truck can really 3 make that u­turn. As you go through the DAG process and 4 you resume it, I would encourage you to try your best to 5 include businesses along Hyde Park Avenue and South 6 Street. 7 As far as mitigation and accountability I 8 would really like to see the DOT get behind putting hub 9 way stations up and down Center Street and South Street 10 as early mitigation and continue that throughout the 11 project. I think that can make a big difference and 12 help alleviate some of the initial impacts. So I would 13 like to ask you, who here can help make that commitment 14 and would you be willing to do that. 15 Finally, and perhaps most importantly we 16 have a very busy neighborhood here in the morning when 17 people are going through and the evening when people are 18 coming back through. The rest of the day during the 19 middle of day, night and weekends, it is a much 20 different traffic pattern. I strongly encourage you to 21 consider allowing what I would call a normal traffic 22 pattern of left turns in off­peak times. That will 23 really help the businesses that are going to be, I think 24 otherwise really compromised by the traffic patterns A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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65 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 that you are presenting. Thank you for your time and
2 thank you for your effort on this.
KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Do we have an
3 4 eighteen, nineteen, excellent.
5 MARY GOESSLING: My name is Mary 6 Goessling, G­O­E­S­S­L­I­N­G. I don’t have a car, I 7 don’t ride a bike but I am a pedestrian and I walk 8 everywhere. I am very concerned about the noise 9 pollution down near the Arnold Arboretum, particularly 10 concerned about the left hand turners ending up down 11 there at the pedestrian gate. I really don’t believe 12 that when – one of the gentleman said that he didn’t 13 think that there would be much truck traffic down there, 14 I believe that there will be. I would also like to know if there are 15 16 any buffers that can be built along the wall where the 17 stonewall is down there in the Arnold Arboretum. When 18 you walk through the Arboretum now this is with the 19 bridge, it is like a wave of noise around you. Once you 20 knock out the bridge, it is going to be a thousand times 21 worse, a thousand. You are going to have to have 22 headphones to go through the Arnold Arboretum. Thank 23 you. 24 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Twenty please. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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66 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 GEORGE KORDAN: Hello my name is George 2 Kordan, K­O­R­D­A­N. I live in Roslindale on Poplar 3 Street. I have been to a few of these meetings. I have 4 to say I don’t have much respect for this process that 5 has railroaded this at­grade solution through. I am for 6 the bridge. 7 I think there are two agendas here at 8 play one for the state. The state’s interest it to save 9 money. The way they have done it is to address special 10 interests groups whose interests align with the states 11 for an at­grade solution. 12 I think automobile traffic whose gas 13 taxes help support such a plan, they don’t support this 14 plan but they will support the long­term upkeep of the 15 project which haven’t been addressed. One of the goals 16 of the special interest groups is to make traffic 17 difficult. I don’t get why the MassDOT besides they 18 want to save money to be, I hate to say it, but in­bed 19 with the special interest groups whose goal is to make 20 traffic difficult. People from outside of the area who 21 use the bridge to get around traffic don’t have a say in 22 this whole process and they still don’t. I think the 23 whole process is a sham for the MassDOT to save money. 24 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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67 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 JOHN SPEARS: My name is John Spears, S­
2 P­E­A­R­S. I am a forty­year homeowner at 15 Myrtle
3 Street in Jamaica Plain and I am an architect for Urban
4 Design. I know from my background that a hundred
5 million dollars a mile buys a lot of road. The bridge
6 price is a three hundred million dollar a mile bridge
7 which would be a spectacular bridge at seventy­three
8 million dollars for that estimate.
9 I think a political politician could say 10 to the engineers build me a beautiful bridge for thirty­
11 five million and it would get done. There is a lot of 12 creative ways that architects in this community can 13 figure out how to do that without spending fifty­three 14 million dollars and getting something that is really 15 nice. 16 What the Department of Transportation is 17 proposing is to build a Melnea Cass Highway down through 18 the middle of Forest Hills Station. What the Department 19 of Transportation is also doing is trying to change 20 Melnea Cass up north with millions of dollars of 21 widenings, easement takings, and so on. The difference 22 is that this Melnea Cass that you are proposing is much 23 worse than the current Melnea Cass because of these 24 weird left hand turn things which makes someone from A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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68 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 Mattapan or Dorchester during rush hour to go through 2 five traffic lights to make a left turn down to West 3 Roxbury. That is what makes the so called east/west 4 numbers work because we don’t have anybody to take a 5 left. 6 I think it is a bad design. I think we 7 could have been creative and gotten a beautiful bridge. 8 I love bridges. There are a lot of beautiful bridges in 9 our city and across the country that we ought to 10 emulate. So that is it. 11 MARK TEDROW: My name is Mark Tedrow, T­
12 E­D­R­O­W, I live at 169 Sycamore Street in Roslindale 13 and I am speaking on behalf of the Local Street Alliance 14 tonight. The Local Streets Alliance supports the 15 current plan for a new surface street layout. Traffic 16 volumes show that the surface streets can handle the 17 traffic. The traffic volumes have been both declining 18 both transit, cycle, and walking numbers have increased. 19 The redesigned intersections will make 20 the area roadways and destinations far less confusing 21 than they are today and will minimize traffic delays. 22 The proposed cycle paths and multi­use paths will help 23 make cycling safer and encourage more people from ages 24 eight to eighty to walk and run again. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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69 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 Expanded busway will help to expand 2 transit use by increasing transit capacity, simplifying 3 transporting pedestrians MBTA operations and improve 4 traffic flow on the Casey Arborway. 5 The Local Streets Alliance strongly 6 supports building the surface roads for 2016 as 7 presented to the Design Advisory Group in June. The 8 building for 2035 traffic volumes will likely create 9 induced demand that was not there before. In order to 10 make the Casey Arborway Neighborhood as livable as 11 possible you need to keep the overall road spans as 12 narrow as possible to make each of the crossing segments 13 as short as possible. Do not forget the importance of 14 keeping the crossing movements as efficient as possible 15 and to ensure that the whole corridor is landscaped in a 16 ways that the storage flow has a connecting segment of 17 the Emerald Necklace. Thank you. 18 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Number twenty­
19 three. Can I ask the next couple of numbers to get 20 ready please. 21 ETHAN FLEMING: Hi, my name is Ethan 22 Fleming, F­L­E­M­I­N­G. I live in Brighton but I pass 23 through the area quite often to meet up with some 24 freelance clients, as well as some friends quite a bit. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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70 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 The intersections on this process are really deeply 2 concerning me as a cyclists. There are a couple of 3 reasons, number one just because you have walking paths 4 or biking paths or whatever on the side of them doesn’t 5 mean all cyclists are going to use those. When those 6 get filled up with people that are moving slower than 7 the cyclists wants to what is going to happen is the 8 cyclists is going to move into the street. 9 Getting back the topic of the 10 intersections, they look like an accident between bike 11 and car waiting to happen. My suggestion on how to fix 12 that is to do what we have done on Comm Ave already. 13 Put bike boxes in at the front of the intersection so 14 that the cars have to stop behind the bike box and then 15 the bike can move in front of the cars and have more 16 control over whether they want to go left right or 17 straight. Thank you. 18 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. 19 JONATHAN BAKER: My name is Jonathan 20 Baker, I live on Martinwood Road. I want to say that I 21 feel the distrust in the community of this project is 22 growing. It degrades pedestrian crossings and depends 23 on at least enforcement which most of us in Jamaica 24 Plain know already doesn’t exist. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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71 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 Moving the busway is an example of how a 2 bad idea in general necessitates further bad ideas. The 3 repercussions are damaging our community. The input is 4 not there for the community in this process. That is 5 evident now. What is evident is that the paid 6 consultants are the majority of the in favored group in 7 this community and that just makes clear how much 8 opposition there is. 9 The notion that no attractive bridge 10 could be built is false. It is done all over the world. 11 What that shows is the inaptitude of the design crew. 12 With the growing distrust and opposition of this project 13 shows even more of the sign of inaptitude of this 14 project in general and the public relations effort. The 15 opposition is growing and will grow. My only question 16 is how in this process do we dispose of a bad idea? 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 KATE FICHTER: Number twenty­five, please. Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Can you answer that question. MIKE TREPANIER: If there is a question about the design, we will be happy to answer that. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: The question is how do we change the design. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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72 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 2 MIKE TREPANIER: We are moving forward with our proposed design. 3 4 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: That is not the question. 5 6 (UNAUDIBLE PHRASES – Too many speakers at once from the audience.) 7 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: That is the 8 process that we want to know, how do we change the 9 design. 10 PAUL GODFREY: To answer his question, if 11 you have ideas, if you have identified flaws in the 12 design that is presented. This and your written comment 13 is your opportunity to make sure that we are aware of 14 them. So if for some reason if you can bring forth 15 information that suggests elements of this project do 16 not work it is our duty and diligence to look at that 17 information and take it into consideration. 18 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Here it is. 19 PAUL GODFREY: So that is the answer to 20 the question. If there are specific elements that you 21 have concerns with that you can find design operational 22 safety flaws with, we would not be doing our job if we 23 didn’t listen to them. So that is how we do this. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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73 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 2 3 KATE FICHTER: Do we have number twenty­
five, twenty­six, twenty­seven? Okay. PETE STIDMAN: I’m Pete Stidman. I’m at 4 19 Morrow Street in Roxbury. I am listening to a lot of 5 comments tonight and I know this plan is not perfect 6 yet. I am and the Boston Cyclists Union is in support 7 for the at­grade option. 8 I don’t know if everyone here knows it 9 but twelve years ago I moved here from Denver which I 10 think is one of the worst design cities in the world. 11 As I was growing up out there, I saw most of the fields 12 consumed by track houses that were created mostly by the 13 highways that they built out in the fields around Denver 14 in the Foothills. I am really thankful that I live in 15 this community because in Denver this would not have 16 been a debate. They would have built not a two lane 17 bridge they would have built a four or six lane bridge 18 because we would never have gone against I­95 when that 19 was a debate in this community. We would have allowed 20 the MDC to build a highway around the Jamaica Way when 21 that was a debate in this community. We would have lost 22 all that beauty a long time ago. 23 24 All of us will be focused on how to spend one minute less in our cars because we’d all be living A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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74 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 much more miserable lives. That is the slippery slope 2 that Denver went down. I know small sacrifices will be 3 made for this project. I know that seven percent of 4 people will have to take left turns on a little more 5 time going around. I know that some people will have to 6 take a little more time crossing the street but there 7 are a lot of other sacrifices we are going to have to 8 make for other problems like climate change. There are 9 a lot of people who deny the facts that we need to do 10 that. This thing that I witness there are a lot 11 12 of people – there are some massive benefits that we can 13 get out of at­grade by making this neighborhoods more 14 walking and biking. KATE FICHTER: That is the two minutes
15 16 I’m sorry.
PETE STIDMAN: Sorry, just one second. 17 18 There are a lot of people who are denying the facts that 19 this can work. KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Twenty­eight
20 21 22 please.
QUIRAM: I am not going to speak
23 specifically to the design I want to speak to the issue
24 I did recently address earlier on in this process.
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75 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 (INAUDIBLE PHRASE) specification and quality of 2 construction. Something that appears to be relatively 3 elusive in Massachusetts. I want to find out how we 4 would save for it if the project was done in the best 5 quality. That we not find out later that poor grades of 6 concrete were used, things were skipped, people didn’t 7 do what they were supposed to do. I understand that 8 there are going to be onsite engineers. I believe the 9 budget can be much tighter so that we get the best 10 quality project. We have been short changed on many 11 projects in this neighborhood and I would like to make 12 sure that that doesn’t happen. Thank you. 13 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. 14 EDITH BUHS: Hello my name is Edith Buhs, 15 B­U­H­S; I live at 61 Hampstead Road, which is just off 16 of the Arborway right above South Street. I have lived 17 in Jamaica Plain for twenty years. I have been a near 18 abutter living on both the north and south sides of 19 Forest Hills for the last twelve years as a resident and 20 a homeowner. I walk a lot, I bike a lot, I take the T, 21 I do drive I have a daughter and it is the most 22 frightening activity I do any day is try to cross those 23 intersections. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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76 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 So I feel that anything is going to be 2 better than what we have if some reasonable thought is 3 applied. I think you guys have been applying reasonable 4 thought. I appreciate you taking comments and input. 5 You can’t make everybody happy, especially in Jamaica 6 Plain. I support the decisions that you made. 7 In the property that I own now and rent 8 out at South Street, just two houses off of the 9 intersection year by year there are more bikes and fewer 10 cars to the people that I rent out to. I think that 11 trend is happening everywhere and I really appreciate 12 the accommodations that support and encourage greater 13 use of the area safely and beauty by bikers and 14 pedestrians in addition to cars. 15 That being said I really like that there 16 is a headhouse and I recognize that we wouldn’t have 17 that if there was a bridge and that is a major 18 consideration. I was actually a little more in favor of 19 the bridge and your design won me over. 20 There are a couple of things that I would 21 like you to pay attention too. Coming off the Arborway 22 onto South Street this was mentioned earlier that the 23 intersection is difficult for left or right turns as a 24 car, pedestrian and bike. It is really tough. I would A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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77 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 like to see a box created at that intersection that 2 would allow cars to get in and out. I think that something I haven’t heard 3 4 mentions is priority signalization for buses, so that as 5 a bus approaches the light recognizes that and gives 6 priority to that traffic. That should address some 7 concerns about the 39 bus and other buses. 8 MIKE TREPANIER: That is two minutes.
9 KATE FICHTER: That is two minutes, I’m
10 sorry.
EDITH BUHS: The multi­path in that area
11 12 I believe deserves thought. There is more pedestrian
13 and bike paths in the new commercial area of Washington
14 Street.
15 MIKE TREPANIER: Thank you. 16 KATE FICHTER: Thank you, number thirty
17 please. Can I ask everyone with a thirty number to
18 please get ready.
19 MARTHA ROLLINS: My name is Martha 20 Rollins. I live in Hyde Park. I lived in JP. I’ve 21 lived in Roslindale and now I live in Hyde Park and I am 22 a member of the Fairmont Hill Neighborhood Association. 23 I am a board member there and I brought this up to our 24 neighborhood and most everyone there has no idea about A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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78 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 this project. So I don’t think community outreach has 2 occurred. 3 I think one thing that we can all agree 4 upon here is that the Casey Overpass needs to come down. 5 It is hideous. It is ugly. It is falling apart. It is 6 dangerous. What is wrong with putting back a nicely 7 designed bridge with useable space under it and around 8 it? There is a lot of designs around the country and 9 around the world, just Google it. One tap of your 10 finger and you will see so many gorgeous beautiful 11 designs. 12 The Casey Overpass serves an incredible 13 useful purpose. It allows the cars to travel over the 14 area that is already highly congested. I use it twice a 15 day to travel from Hyde Park into Brookline where I work 16 and I just can’t figure out what I am going to do when I 17 have to stop at five lights twice a day to get through 18 there. I am just wondering if any of you people do take 19 the Casey Overpass. Can you raise your hand? Do any of 20 you take the Casey Overpass? Anybody here. 21 MIKE TREPANIER: I have. 22 KATE FICHTER: Yes. 23 MARTHA ROLLINS: But on a regular basis. 24 Okay just curious. Anyway, the thing that we are known A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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79 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 for in the area is community involvement. I think it is 2 great that you are asking this community to get involved 3 because clearly there is a lot of people who really like 4 this beautiful neighborhood and they want to speak their 5 mind and they want their voices to be heard. Don’t 6 forget that the trolley was supposed to be a done deal 7 in JP and we do not have a trolley. 8 9 KATE FICHTER: We should be I believe on thirty­one. 10 KEVIN MALONEY: My name is Kevin Maloney 11 I live at 20 Rambler Road in Jamaica Plain. I was born 12 and grew up in Jamaica Plain. My first experience with 13 the Casey Overpass was before it opened when I rode my 14 bicycle over the new asphalt. So I am familiar with the 15 overpass for a very long time. I am going to give Mr. 16 Godfrey a pass on some of the things that he said 17 because he was not involved at least as far as I could 18 tell in the WAG process. 19 I think some people may get the 20 impression from what Mr. Godfrey perhaps unknowingly 21 said was that some of these decisions on this project 22 and the at­grade plan were sponsored by the members of 23 the WAG. I was a member of the WAG, I went to all but 24 the first meeting which took place before I was A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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80 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 appointed. There was no consensus arrived at. There 2 weren’t no votes. The agendas were jam packed so there 3 wasn’t any time nor was there in fact any discussion 4 among the members of the WAG. 5 Now the opening screen showed something 6 that doesn’t exist in Forest Hills not a car, not a 7 truck, not a pedestrian, not a bicyclist. The 8 presentation made by DOT tonight failed to alert the 9 folks of this hall that the Mass Historical Commission 10 has not endorsed your obliteration of Shea Square. In 11 fact, they expressed very strong opposition to it. 12 One other point I will make in addition 13 to the odd representation on the opening screen which 14 replicates what is on the website the drawings that you 15 showed here tonight as I saw them from the audience seem 16 to give equal space to the bike path and pedestrian path 17 as they did to the six and seven lanes of asphalt. That 18 cannot be true. Those drawings tonight like the 19 drawings in the WAG do not accurately reflect what is 20 proposed to be done. 21 MIKE TREPANIER: Thank you. 22 KEVIN MALONEY: One final comment. On 23 the website of DOT if you look at their report on the 24 MEPA meeting that took place in this hall in mid­
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81 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 December DOT and the Executive Summary said seemingly 2 opinion was equally split between the bridge and at­
3 grade. 4 5 MIKE TREPANIER: You are out of time. Your time it up. 6 7 KATE FICHTER: Kevin, you are out of time. 8 KEVIN MALONEY: I’m going to finish. 9 MIKE TREPANIER: Your time it up. 10 KEVIN MALONEY: If you look at – 11 MIKE TREPANIER: We need to move on. 12 KEVIN MALONEY: If you look at the detail 13 on the very same document and you look at the number of 14 people – 15 16 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Let the rest of us talk. 17 KEVIN MALONEY: ­­ and you look at what 18 was said 2/3 of the people were opposed to this plan. 19 KATE FICHTER: Thank you, Kevin. Next 20 21 please. BARRY STEINBERG: My name is Barry 22 Steinberg, I live in Quincy, S­T­E­I­N­B­E­R­G. 23 Everyone who has been speaking on the intersection is 24 familiar with it. What about the people who are passing A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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82 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 through who do not know the area? I am sure that one
2 car going in the wrong direction could tie up all your
3 plans.
4 There should be signage coming from both 5 directions along the Arborway and Morton Street saying, 6 if you want to go to Boston what to do, if you want to 7 go to Dedham, if you want to go to Cambridge what to do. 8 You are talking about a lot of complicated operations. Another question on the bus 21. Can you
9 10 show me how it would be routed in both directions?
KATE FICHTER: Perhaps it would be better 11 12 to do that in the lobby with a map. Would that be all 13 right? 14 BARRY STEINBERG: I think it is important 15 that everyone be aware of how these routings will take. 16 I think the 21 will be very much impeded by your plans. 17 18 19 KATE FICHTER: Can we speak to the 21.
Okay, give us a moment everyone.
GARY MCNAUGHTON: Again, my name is Gary
20 McNaughton. I am one of the Traffic Engineers on the
21 project. You can’t see it at this scale but right in
22 this area there actually is a dedicated left turn lane
23 for buses. 16, 21 and 31 that come off on the east
24 would actually come into under the Arborway surface
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83 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 road. They would be able allowed to take a left turn 2 into the lower busway, turn back out and take a right. 3 So their operation is actually being improved over what 4 they experience today. 5 BARRY STEINBERG: Okay. Thank you. 6 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Number thirty­
7 two, please. Thirty­three. 8 9 BERNARD DOHERTY: Thank you. Bernard Doherty, D­O­H­E­R­T­Y, 36 Asticou Road, Jamaica Plain. 10 I am the Chair of the Asticou/Martinwood/South Street 11 Neighborhood Association. I have been the chair of the 12 organization for over thirty years now and we fought a 13 number of battles over the state improving our 14 community. 15 The issue here tonight for me, I am not 16 in favor of destroying the bridge because I can’t see 17 how this makes any sense at all. I have been a WAG 18 member and a DAG member but my concern for my community 19 is what you see in the upper level busway there. That 20 was never really discussed. When they say that we had 21 issues that we have concern about, yes we mentioned in 22 the WAG meetings that we were concerned about the taxis 23 which were there for a six space and there are sixteen 24 of them. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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84 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 We were concerned about people parking on 2 our roads as you enter, dumping trash, dropping off, 3 accidents, and everything else that occurs. We were 4 concerned with some visual things. Out of that, we here 5 that well we took your concerns into consideration and 6 we moved the entire bus station down. Not only that but 7 we are going to add the 39 bus into it and make you feel 8 a lot better about it and everyone is going to be happy. 9 We are not happy. The reason we are not happy is 10 because you heard someone talk about walls or some way 11 of making it easier for us. What they are talking about 12 is walling us in. 13 We are just three insignificant streets 14 to these people. That is all we are. That is all we 15 were before and that is what we are in the future. They 16 are going to say to us, I’m sorry we need this to move 17 this busway down in order to make this project work. If 18 we don’t do that it won’t work. It is bad now and it is 19 even worse. So when you see this keep in mind that 20 there are people who live in that neighborhood there. 21 You see all these other areas, the courthouse, Franklin 22 Park, Shea Square do you see Asticou/Martinwood 23 Neighborhood identified in there, no. There is a reason A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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85 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 for that. They don’t care. That is the problem. As 2 long as they continue – 3 4 MIKE TREPANIER: That is two minutes Bernie. 5 6 BERNANRD DOHERTY: ­­ on the path that they are going then we are going to be in – 7 KATE FICHTER: Okay, your time is up. 8 BERNANRD DOHERTY: ­­ a real problem all 9 10 together. Thank you very much. I do appreciate your time. 11 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. 12 NINA ARONOMF: Hello, my name is Nina 13 Aronomf, A­R­O­N­O­M­F. I live at 100 Bourne Street and 14 I have been a homeowner there for ten years. I don’t 15 have a lot to add but I want to reinforce a lot of what 16 has been said. It is true that the devil is in the 17 details. A lot of people here have spoken against the 18 at­grade solutions with good details. 19 The devil is also in the context. I was 20 very surprised tonight to hear a presentation of such a 21 huge plan without thinking about thinking about the 22 logical context thoroughly. The neighborhood context 23 thoroughly or the most local context like walking across A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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86 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 six or seven lanes if you don’t have the health to walk
2 across it.
3 If there are problems with the crossways 4 for bikes, pedestrians, and cars for which there are 5 numerable every minute of the day there, practically, 6 then fix those. It does not have to be fixed with an 7 at­grade solution. I think there is a very common sense 8 in this room aside from the few people who were talking 9 in support of at­grade most people here are talking 10 11 against it and talking about a pro­bridge. I am concerned about all of our 12 neighborhoods. The fact that you consider putting up a 13 wall to help solve a problem that is created by this 14 plan is really insulting. I live in another part of the 15 neighborhood. Where do you think these cars are going 16 to go? When they can’t’ take a bridge to go not just to 17 Mattapan, not just to Hyde Park, but to Randolph to 18 Dedham to Roxbury being left out once again. There are 19 a lot of neighborhoods being impacted that were not 20 discussed in terms of the context. 21 I know how difficult it is to get just
22 from my house to where I work in the Longwood Medical
23 area now. Luckily, I can go outside of business hours
24 but if not I would be at a loss. Those cars are going
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87 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 in our neighborhood and every neighborhood around us 2 because the at­grade solution does not work. 3 KATE FICHTER: I want to do a quick check 4 in. We are a little less than half way through the 5 numbers. We have two hours left to go, so please be 6 respectful of everyone’s time. Number thirty­five 7 please. 8 9 KATE HUTCHINSON: Hi, my name is Kate Hutchinson. I live at 74 Woodlawn Street which is 10 directly in the impacted area. I am fond of this idea 11 and have been since it was first suggested as an out of 12 the box idea. I want to thank the engineers and the 13 planners for having done a thorough job that was also 14 done by an outside independent group. 15 My concern is I do drive through this 16 area every single morning to go to work. I come down 17 Hyde Park and make a left onto New Washington Street 18 where I am almost immediately confronted by school buses 19 and parents dropping off kids. It is great. It is 20 obviously a logical place to have a school bus stop. I 21 was wondering where that would be because currently in 22 the morning when I drive through a lot of times New 23 Washington Street is two lanes with sort of a 24 breakdown/drop­off area lane. Generally, the parents A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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88 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 will park in the drop­off area and in the right­hand 2 lane and then the school bus has to stop and do its 3 flashing lights in the left­hand lane which then holds 4 up traffic which backs up. So I am just wondering if 5 you can show me some of the possible areas that you will 6 move this to for the safety of the kids. I am always 7 worried that someone is going to run out and I am going 8 to hit them. 9 10 11 KATE FICHTER: Gary, can you do that quickly. GARY MCNAUGHTON: We have actually met 12 with the school department and we will be meeting with 13 them again. It is a process in terms of identifying the 14 curb uses. Currently we do have the area along the 15 north side that is designated to cabs. We have 16 determined if they need all that that may be more room 17 than they need. The school department is very willing 18 and through the years they have been moved to various 19 locations around the station and they have been very 20 willing to work with us to identify a location that work 21 well for them. Given the routes they use they do have 22 the flexibility to work with us. 23 24 There are a number of new areas particularly along South Washington Street side there is A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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89 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 new curb side areas that are available for drop­off and 2 pick­up. We don’t know definably but we have met with 3 them and we will meet with them again. 4 KATE HUTCHINSON: As you pick the space 5 where there be some space allotted for people to park. 6 I really have concern because sometimes you see people 7 park their cars in the middle of the road, grab their 8 kid and run across the street to put them on the bus. 9 MIKE TREPANIER: Okay. 10 11 KATE FICHTER: I think we are at the two minutes. 12 KATE HUTCHINSON: Okay. 13 KATE FICHTER: We can come back to the 14 lobby, please. 15 MARK KABAKOFF: Hi, Mark Kabakoff, K­A­B­
16 A­K­O­F­F. I live at 98 Bourne Street. I think this 17 plan is utterly unusable. Have any of you – none of you 18 take the overpass. Do any of you sit in traffic in rush 19 hour on Hyde Park or Washington Street in the morning or 20 evening? 21 MIKE TREPANIER: No. 22 MARK KABAKOFF: Yeah, I do. So you are 23 adding all these thousands of cars that currently by­
24 pass our neighborhood by taking the bridge are now going A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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90 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 to be down in our neighborhood. For those of us coming 2 up from the south there is an incredible amount of 3 traffic already. Coming up Washington you are going to 4 put more buses in and now maybe the area in the same 5 place that was just pointed out as a possible place for 6 the school buses. Why not put them in Asticou because 7 everything else is going to be there. 8 9 I noticed on the map you don’t include Ukraine as part of the project. Yet you are going to be 10 forcing traffic onto Ukraine Street and traffic already 11 crossing Ukraine is a mess in the morning and in the 12 evening. I don’t see that included and that should be 13 included because if you are putting all the traffic 14 there and you leave out the streets that are in the 15 distance then you are not solving the problem. So I 16 really think you need to put the bridge back. 17 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Number thirty­
18 seven please. If I could ask the next set of numbers to 19 please start to queue up. 20 CHRISTINE POTTS: My name is Christine 21 Potts, I am from the Franklin Park Coalition. We have 22 has representatives on the WAG and DAG and questions 23 that we have as an organization that cares about A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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91 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 Franklin Park around Shea Square or the proposal for 2 Shea Square. I have a few comments. 3 First, we would like to advocate that 4 some of the greenery that is currently at Shea Circle be 5 maintained in some way. It is just a lovely entrance to 6 Franklin Park. The second thing is a question really. 7 There is concern about traffic coming out of the park. 8 There is always – park users care a lot that there is 9 too much traffic coming through the park and are worried 10 that if there is a traffic light will the traffic back 11 up into the park. I am wondering if that has been 12 looked at. That has been raised several times. 13 14 15 KATE FICHTER: Gary, can you address that quickly, please? GARY MCNAUGHTON: The short answer is 16 yes, it has been looked at. We have actually from when 17 we were here a year ago with some preliminary designs we 18 modified that intersection to make sure that the traffic 19 is flowing through there. As you probably know most of 20 the traffic that comes out of there today they are 21 entering into the rotary, they are forced to merge with 22 traffic. The majority of them are turning right heading 23 off to the west. Most of those are right turns. We A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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92 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 have looked at it. We have modified the design so that
2 it does work very well at that intersection.
3 4 CHRISTINE POTTS: Great. Well we would 5 like you to keep that in mind as you keep going. If we 6 can maintain some of the greenery. We are really in 7 support of the safe route for pedestrian crossing into 8 Franklin Park but the other thing that the Franklin Park 9 Coalition has long advocated for is the signs to direct 10 pedestrian and bicyclists down Forest Hills Street to 11 the Williams Street entrance. We just feel like that 12 entrance on Circuit Drive is so dangerous anyway and it 13 is really not friendly to bicyclists or pedestrians. So 14 if that could be anyway part of just a small sign there. 15 Williams Street is a beautiful park entrance. Thank 16 you. KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Please also
17 18 remember that if you have very specific questions about
19 the design we have a lot of visual and staff resources
20 out in the lobby, so please avail yourself of those as
21 well. I think we are on thirty­eight, thirty­nine,
22 okay.
23 JONATHAN MCCURDY: Jonathan McCurdy, M­C­
24 C­U­R­D­Y. I just want to say for the record that I am A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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93 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 in support of the at­grade. I appreciate the 2 opportunity to be here for comments and also appreciate 3 all the folks that are here. One of the things that I 4 love about JP is that folks do come out to community 5 meetings and folks do make sure that their voices are 6 heard. So even though I respectfully disagree with some 7 of the comments here in regards to folks wanting a new 8 replacement bridge, I do respect them for coming out and 9 having their voices heard. Just for note, I live in the 10 Stony Brook neighborhood in JP. So right around the 11 corner. Thanks. 12 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Forty, forty­
13 one. Okay and please if you are in the forties begin to 14 get yourself ready. 15 DANA KEENE: Hello, my name is Dana 16 Keene, K­E­E­N­E. I live at 28 Wenham which is on the 17 Southside of this bridge. So when I go running, I have 18 to run through that intersection that is now going to be 19 six lanes of busy, crazy traffic and I think it is 20 disgusting that you would take that bridge down. There 21 are so many cars. You are going to increase the traffic 22 by 300% that goes where I run, where people walk, where 23 they bring their children and dogs. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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94 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 Also, I think that it is going to create 2 a situation like other people have mentioned where it 3 looks like Melnea Cass and you will notice that Melnea 4 Cass does not have residential buildings located around 5 it and that is because nobody wants to live on a 6 highway. We need that bridge there for stopping the 7 traffic from being on our street where we walk and where 8 we play and where children and dogs are. That is my 9 opinion. 10 11 12 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Number forty­
two please, forty­three. JESSICA MINK: My name is Jessica Mink. 13 I live at 77 Neponset Ave in Roslindale which is just 14 the other side of the Bourne Neighborhood off Hyde Park 15 Ave. My concern is first, I really like the bridge. I 16 even like it is now. I go over it on my bike all the 17 time. My daughter when I told her, she grew up going 18 over the bridge to daycare and she just told me that it 19 was surprising nobody would like the bridge. Anyway, as 20 a place to be if you are not in a car. She is surprised 21 bicyclist don’t like the bridge because I shore like 22 going over it. 23 So right now my big problem is that I 24 feel like people traveling north and south have been A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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95 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 ignored a lot. So we are looking at how people going 2 across the Arborway with Hyde Park Ave. Last Wednesday 3 which was after a snowstorm and it was a little bad and 4 I couldn’t figure out what the cause of this exactly was 5 but traffic was backed up for an entire mile bumper to 6 bumper stopped on Hyde Park Ave from the Arborway South. 7 I could get through on my bike. I had to ride on the 8 sidewalks and they weren’t all plowed, so it was hard. 9 So I am just saying that there are still a lot of people 10 that aren’t going to be able to get through this on 11 bikes if traffic continues to back up. 12 I think that traffic volumes now let 13 alone in twenty years are a problem. I think if the 14 lights are done really carefully it might work, 15 especially in off­peak hours. I think in the peak times 16 there are peak fifteen­minute periods when there is a 17 heavy density of school buses and T buses and I think it 18 gets backed up. It is going to really hurt people who 19 that are using public transportation and children going 20 to school because the delays can be really huge if any 21 little thing goes wrong. Even though I live almost a 22 mile south my street Neponset Ave is a cut through 23 street and it is a way to get from basically Blue Hill A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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96 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 Ave to Roslindale Square and across town that way. It 2 is the next place south. That’s two?
3 MIKE TREPANIER: That’s two.
4 JESSICA MINK: Okay, I’m just saying
5 traffic is getting diverted that far south and I see it
6 when the traffic is not even closed.
7 8 9 KATE FICHTER: Thank you, Jessica.
Forty­four is next.
KEITH DESOTO: My name is Keith Desoto.
10 I live at 235 Forest Hills Street in the Stony Brook
11 neighborhood which is not on the map but it is right
12 there on Forest Hills Street. I had a number of
13 concerns I was not on a DAG or a WAG but I went to a
14 number of the meetings and was very dismayed at the way
15 that they were handled for many of the reasons that had
16 been stated earlier. It wasn’t a lot of discussion
17 there was a lot of – seemed to be just getting through
18 the topics and making sure everything was touched upon
19 without a lot of discussion.
20 What I am looking at up here is a
21 concern. There is no way traveling eastbound to turn
22 into our own neighborhood to take a left onto Forest
23 Hills Street, which is right there by the Shea
24 Square/Circle situation, that we have to get off
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97 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 earlier, not taking a left turn, doing a bowtie turn
2 going back to Washington Street and taking a right just
3 to get into our neighborhood.
4 The at­grade plan, I just don’t agree 5 with. I don’t understand why keeping transient traffic 6 transient when people are just trying to get through our 7 neighborhood putting them on the surface just makes no 8 sense to me. I am not an urban planner but I drive 9 around this time and have been here a long time, you can 10 probably tell by the way I talk. I am from here. I 11 know how the roads work. I cut through a lot of 12 neighborhoods in my time and this is just silly. It 13 really is. 14 It seems like it has been forced down the 15 throats of the neighborhood. I would go to the meetings 16 and people would say this has been brought up and 17 someone would say well we never discussed that. When 18 did this get discussed? Well you weren’t quite here 19 yet. Well the numbers would be brought up and someone 20 would present a number and say this is the number for 21 traffic and different numbers would be brought up from 22 your very website that conflicted with it and it wasn’t 23 adversarial at the time and it wasn’t meant to be but 24 there wasn’t any resolution. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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98 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 KAREN FICHTER: That’s two minutes. 2 KEITH DESOTO: That’s two minutes, well 3 there you go. 4 JOHN LEVITT: My name is John Levitt, I 5 live at 120 Westchester Road in Jamaica Plain. I have 6 lived here all my life. I was against the Casey 7 Overpass before I was for it. I became for it when I 8 got my driver’s license in 1958. I found out that I 9 could fly right over that horrendous traffic jam that 10 existed 24 hours a day then at Forest Hills and still 11 does today. 12 I go to South Boston, Quincy, Dorchester, 13 and Milton. I take the overpass about four times a week 14 going both ways. It is exactly one mile from one rotary 15 to the other rotary and you have to go from one rotary 16 to the other to cross the overpass. It takes me two 17 minutes driving, I try to avoid rush hour. My question 18 is with adding five sets of lights to that one­mile 19 trip, that two mile trip how much time will it add to my 20 trip? That must have been looked at in traffic studies. 21 KATE FICHTER: Gary can we address that? 22 GARY MCNAUGHTON: We did look at that and 23 talked about that during the planning study. During the 24 peak periods if you were to do that time and obviously A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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99 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 not taking into account the delays you are going to hit 2 to the west of the Murray Circle (sounds like) but going 3 through the signals, the changes to the roadway 4 configuration and the bridge is going to add between 5 thirty and ninety seconds for that trip depending on 6 (INAUDIBLE PHRASE­ YELLING FROM CROWD). 7 KATE FICHTER: Please be respectful. 8 JOHN LEVITT: I don’t – 9 MIKE TREPANIER: That is two minutes. 10 11 KATE FICHTER: I am sorry but we are at two minutes. 12 MIKE TRAPANIER: Thank you. 13 JOHN LEVITT: I don’t believe that is 14 true. Five sets of lights, thirty seconds. 15 KATE FICHTER: Okay, thank you. 16 JULIE CRAWFORD: Hello, my name is Julie 17 Crawford. I live in Jamaica Plain at 62 Union Avenue. 18 I live on a private way and I am very used to people 19 cutting through all hours of the day and night. So I am 20 sensitive to people’s concerns of cut through traffic in 21 the neighborhood. People use my private way for that 22 very purpose to avoid one light. 23 24 I am very concerned about the impact of this project on the neighborhood but I am even more A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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100 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 concerned about the impact of climate change on our 2 world. If we don’t build for a future where people 3 drive less and walk and bicycle and use public 4 transportation more we are all going to have beach front 5 properties and we won’t be living in Boston on the beach 6 front we will all be living much further inland. 7 So I do think that the solution that the 8 state has come up with is valid. I do believe the 9 traffic studies. I have no reason not to. I don’t 10 think they went into this with any predisposition one 11 way or the other. I trust them as public employees and 12 consultants to do a job they were assigned to do and I 13 think they did it admirably well. I think they have 14 engendered a community process that has been very 15 robust. In fact very typical of Jamaica Plain, 16 Roslindale, and these neighborhoods that people have 17 come out in droves at different phases of the project. 18 I am not surprised that at this phase 19 more and more people are hearing about the project. 20 Lots of people are not going to hear about it until the 21 construction starts. We are involved with a big project 22 of conservancy; I am the head of the Emerald Necklace 23 Conservancy and another big project that some of you may 24 have heard of it the Muddy River Restoration Project. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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101 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 We are about to do some major traffic rebooting at 2 Brookline Avenue and the River Way. So look for that 3 that is going to be in the future too. 4 There are already eight lanes on the 5 Arborway. The traffic already stops and I am there five 6 days a week usually, walking my dog in the Arboretum and 7 the traffic already gets stopped several times at the 8 pedestrian activated light. 9 10 11 12 13 KATE FICHTER: That is two minutes, I’m sorry. JULIE CRAWFORD: Okay, thank you. So I don’t think this is going to be all that new. KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Remember you 14 can submit written comment letters to us. I believe we 15 are on forty­nine, fifty. 16 ELIZABETH CHARNEY: That’s my number. 17 KATE FICHTER: Okay. 18 ELIZABETH CHARNEY: I’m Elizabeth 19 Charney, C­H­A­R­N­E­Y. I live at 15 Meehan Street in 20 Jamaica Plain. So yes, yeah thanks to Amelia and Matt 21 O’Malley who threw out that these meetings have 22 emphasized the bridge. Liz had actually asked to extend 23 the public meetings, the public hearing process but we 24 were denied that process. So I just want to acknowledge A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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102 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 that there has been a lot of local councilors, etcetera
2 involved.
Yeah to Mr. Ferris of Ferris Bikes, I 3 4 wish I had written such a great letter. And yes again 5 to Nancy Hanifin, with notified Homestead and Greens 6 people about the Homestead bridges. And yes federal 7 funds were allocated to repair or replace the bridge. I 8 think it is a miss­use of the funds to stretch the fat 9 and do this at­grade process. In terms of Shea Circle, I think Shea 10 11 Square is not a good choice. I think the circle just 12 like that other gentleman said can work a lot better and 13 I had lots of suggestions about that which include the 14 European round­about. The WAG process was not 15 representative of the community, which the WAG member 16 did address. I have suggested that the survey go to all 17 of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Employees, a very 18 easy send. Once you have it figured out to get a better 19 response. 20 I work at New Market Square. I cannot
21 take the bus. It takes me an hour and fifteen minutes
22 by bus where it takes a twenty­minute drive if it is
23 good. So driving is still going to happen and a lot of
24 people come up from the South Shore as already
A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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103 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 mentioned. Yes, we can make a difference. Remember it
2 was the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Government, The
3 MassHighway Commission that did the Central Artery in
4 spite of knowing that it was a bad idea. They went
5 ahead because they had no better ideas. So it is up to
6 us to continue to make sure that the process –
7 MIKE TREPANIER: Thank you.
8 KATE FICHTER: That is two minutes.
9 10 Thank you.
LAURA BARR: Hello my name is Laura Barr, 11 B­A­R­R. I live at 29 Bourne Street in the Bourne area. 12 I am also a supporter of the bridge. I can’t fathom 13 that this plan pretty much destroying the livelihood. 14 My main comment is about the western 15 turnaround in front of the Arboretum. I know that the 16 issue has been raised; will trucks be able to turn 17 around that? My question is this there are three lanes 18 of traffic going west through Forest Hills which drop 19 down to two lanes of traffic before you get to that. So 20 nobody is going to be able to turn left off Washington 21 Street and Hyde Park Ave coming from Milton, Dedham, 22 Quincy all those places. Anybody wanting to go into 23 Roslindale, West Roxbury, and Hyde Park. They want to 24 turn left on Washington or Hyde Park Ave but they can’t A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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104 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 so they have to go up to that turn around. There is two 2 lanes of traffic there. One of which is going to be 3 taken up by people just waiting to make a left turn at 4 that light. One cycle of the light, I just can’t 5 imagine and you know by the fact that you are not 6 letting people turn left at the other ones, I think you 7 know, that there is probably going to be a lot of left 8 hand turning traffic. They are not going to be able to 9 turn there. 10 They are going to have to wait and wait 11 and wait through cycles of lights to turn around and 12 make a u­turn in front of the Arboretum. Which is going 13 to affectively make it a one lane road going from three 14 lanes down to one lane trying to get up around the pond 15 to go up to Brookline, to go to the hospital etcetera. 16 I travel that every morning. At two lanes of traffic, 17 it can be a nightmare. At one lane of traffic, I just 18 don’t see how it will possibly work. 19 20 21 KATE FICHTER: Thank you, is there a fifty­three, fifty­four, okay. MELISSA SANTLEY: Hi I’m Melissa Santley. 22 S­A­N­T­L­E­Y. I am a huge supporter of the at­grade 23 plan because it provides better, more safe and improved 24 infrastructure for bikers and walkers. With that said, A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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105 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 I think we should make more plans for increased after
2 transit users and maybe plan for less cars on the road
3 because less emissions means that we will have to deal
4 with less effects of climate change. In addition to
5 that, I also believe that this plan will also provide
6 better connectivity to the park keeping Homestead’s
7 vision alive.
8 9 I would also like to disagree with an earlier commenter’s claim that Homestead would have 10 supported this bridge because of his acclaimed bridges. 11 I would like to point out that he built bridges for 12 pedestrians and that there were no cars in the late 13 1800’s. He would have frowned upon a bridge that 14 overarched a park that pushed runoff and pollutants from 15 cars into the cars into the vegetation in his park. 16 That is all I have to say. Thank you. 17 KATE FICHTER: Are we on fifty­four, 18 fifty­five, fifty­six, fifty­seven, fifty­eight, we lost 19 so many people, fifty­nine, okay. 20 ANN MCKINNON: Ann McKinnon, M­C­K­I­N­N­
21 O­N. 51 Sedgwick Street, Jamaica Plain. I guess I am 22 very disappointed this is a design public hearing. I 23 didn’t hear a lot of details. I wanted to hear how wide 24 the sidewalks are going to be, how wide the bike paths A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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106 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 are going to be, the travel lane widths, and this to me
2 was the same hearing that I have been to for the last
3 two or three times. So I can’t comment on the shared­
4 use path or the bike lanes, or the bike path because I
5 don’t know what the details are and the scale is
6 unreadable.
7 I am also puzzled by the timing of this 8 hearing. The City of Boston as of a few days ago hadn’t 9 submitted their comments on the 25% design and the Mass 10 Historical Commission has not even begun the 11 consultation process on the destruction of Shea Circle. 12 So I am wondering if we are going to have to have 13 another one of these hearings when that comes through. 14 Or maybe we already know what the answer is from some of 15 these people but I don’t know. I would actually like an 16 answer why this hearing is being held when we don’t know 17 what is going on in Shea Circle and what the Mass 18 Historical Commission and the Consultant Parties will 19 talk about. 20 Finally, on the bike lanes the bike lanes 21 were portrayed as a principle of this project. From day 22 one bike lanes on every street were mandated essentially 23 and now they have been eliminated. The Highway 24 Departments Design guidebook states that outside curb A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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107 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 lanes should be fourteen or fifteen feet wide. My 2 understanding again there were no details. I think they 3 are eleven feet with a two­foot shoulder. So that is a 4 thirteen foot outside curb lane. Since you must meet 5 the guideline as specified in the design guidebook that 6 would be fourteen or fifteen feet. If you are going to 7 have to do that anyway when it is reviewed by the 8 bicycle coordinator, whatever his name is, why not just 9 put the bike lanes back in. You heard a lot of comment 10 about it here we are talking about a difference of two 11 feet. 12 13 KATE FICHTER: That is two minutes, I’m sorry. 14 ANN MCKINNON: I would like to thank the 15 Bridging Forest Hills People for bringing the snacks; I 16 understand they were responsible for that. 17 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. 18 MIKE TREPANIER: Ann, to respond directly 19 to your question regarding ongoing coordination with 20 Mass Historical Commission. We have been in contact 21 with them directly in the last several weeks. Our 22 architectural historian has been working on producing 23 our determination of affect for review by the Mass A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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108 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 Historic Commission where in we document and justify our 2 decision to convert Shea Circle into Shea Square. 3 So that is not complete. It is an 4 ongoing effort. I am sure, you sound quite familiar 5 with the process. There are a lot of details that have 6 to be written into an effect finding. 7 ANN MCKINNON: Actually, Michael, they 8 wanted more alternatives that was what was in their 9 letter. 10 MIKE TREPANIER: It is, it is. They 11 asked for some justification and I will close. I think 12 this is important issue. They asked for justification 13 and further information regarding how we got to that 14 point. They did make a determination that it was an 15 adverse affect. We intend on justifying that and 16 providing mitigation as is typical with an adverse 17 affect. 18 KATE FICHTER: I think we are on sixty. 19 JACK ODELL: Hi my name is Jack Odell, O­
20 D­E­L­L. I live on Asticou Road and I am a member of 21 the Asticou/Martinwood/South Street Neighborhood 22 Association. I am in favor of the at­grade solution. I 23 have consistently found the design to have interesting 24 counterintuitive solutions to some very difficult A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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109 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 problems like restricting the left turns, the bowties 2 among others. 3 Recently I noticed the change of the 4 moving of the cabstand which I also support and the 5 moving of the 39 bus. I think it makes a lot of sense 6 not only to move not only the 39 bus also to move it so 7 it doesn’t come out of South Street, another change that 8 was done recently. I do live on Asticou and I am 9 worried about the buses coming out there. I implore you 10 to come up with great solutions for us. I think we will 11 be doing the same. We meet up often and we are worried 12 about it too. 13 As some of the other people said, we 14 don’t want to be cutoff we want to be in this community. 15 So I think if there is some other creative way of 16 packing that perhaps if the buses came out the other end 17 or something else. Or if it is going to have to be some 18 sort of wall. We used to have drug dealing occur at the 19 bottom of Asticou Road, so we don’t want to be totally 20 cut off. We want to be a part of it. Thank you very 21 much. 22 23 KATE FICHTER: Sixty­one, sixty­two, sixty­three, okay. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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110 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 ALAN IHRER: Hi everybody. My name is 2 Alan Ihrer, I­H­R­E­R. I live in the Stony Brook 3 Neighborhood. I was on the WAG and I was on the DAG. 4 So first, I just want to say something positive, sort 5 of. The folks that are going westward in the mornings 6 they usually drop people off currently where the 7 headhouse it. They used to and despite asking for two­
8 years for there to be a drop­off place at that headhouse 9 we haven’t seen that appear. So now, these people will 10 have to go up and make approximately or exactly ten 11 intersections – they need to go through ten 12 intersections. Imagine that to drop someone off 13 legally. I think that is absolutely outrageous that 14 they would be ignored in such a way. 15 We had in these two years of process 16 approximately fifteen minutes of Q&A on traffic issues 17 where we had up to date traffic information. I think 18 that kind of sucks. The Asticou/Martinwood Neighborhood 19 they are getting hammered. The Hyde Park business folks 20 because that is going to be turned into a heavy transit 21 or heavy vehicle area they are going to get hammered 22 during business hours. 23 24 As I said the east/west commuters will – I think the traffic from my – ­ I spent hundreds of A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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111 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 hours looking at the traffic data that they would allow 2 us to have. I think for three or four hours in the 3 morning it is going to be total mishy­gosh, and three to 4 four hours in the evening is going to be total mishy­
5 gosh. I think that is very unfortunate because had they 6 used the community and we worked together we could have 7 perhaps figured out some ways to reduce that. So I am 8 kind of ambivalence still on the outcome of this. I 9 think it is really unfortunate that we don’t have more 10 folks from those impacted neighborhoods. Who can’t ride 11 their bikes from Mattapan to Dorchester – 12 KATE FICHTER: Al that is two minutes. 13 ALAN IHRER: ­­ to the hospitals, they 14 15 need this commuter route for their cars. KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Fifty­four, 16 fifty­five, I am going backwards, sixty­six, sixty­
17 seven, sixty­eight. 18 JUDY TEITELMAN: Good evening, my name is 19 Judy Teitelman, I live at 38 Sedgwick Street, T­E­I­T­E­
20 L­M­A­N. I live in Jamaica Plain and Roslindale and 21 West Roxbury for the past fifteen/twenty years. I just 22 want to say that I am not for the at­grade. I am 23 definitely strongly for a bridge solution. One of the 24 handouts says that the traffic roads in Massachusetts A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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112 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 has been lack for seven years but we have had a problem
2 with our economy. I do believe that once the economy
3 gets going again and once the downtown crossing area
4 gets developed as well as the continued development of
5 South Boston we are going to see more traffic coming
6 this direction from the suburbs.
7 Now people are talking that we should be
8 walking more and biking more well people are not going
9 to be biking into the city. People from other southern
10 parts are not going to be biking in this direction they
11 are going to be using the roadways. So I am very
12 concerned about traffic backup.
13 Around the Jamaica Pond there is a lot of 14 traffic backup in the morning. It is going to be just 15 like that in the Forest Hills Area. I am a north/south 16 commuter in that direction which really has not been 17 addressed much. It is bad enough in the morning and it 18 is going to be worse if this takes place. So I am very 19 much in support of the bridge. 20 I am concerned about the air pollution
21 because of these backups. I don’t believe, I don’t
22 agree with what I am hearing from the research that it
23 is going to be an additional ninety seconds. I can’t
24 see how that is possible during commute time. I am a
A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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113 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 peak hour commuter. The people who are doing the
2 design, if you don’t travel it on a regular basis you
3 are not necessarily see what it is like during commute
4 time.
5 So another thing that I am really baffled 6 by it seems like two thirds, three quarters of the 7 people here tonight are for the bridge solution. You 8 guys are not the decision makers, I don’t believe, I 9 think someone hirer up has made the decision – 10 KATE FICHTER: That is two minutes.
11 JUDY TEITELMAN: ­­ and brought this upon
12 us and we need to fight back. Thank you.
13 KATE FICHTER: Thank you.
14 KIM EVERETT: Hi my name is Kim Everett,
15 E­V­E­R­E­T­T. I live on Myrtle Street. I have been a
16 resident here in JP for twenty years. I bike to work
17 and bike and walk a lot of places. I don’t think this
18 at­grade solution is going to help my biking at all.
19 First of all, anytime you have a mix­use of walkers and
20 bikers it seems to be a no­bike lane you just can’t get
21 by. It is impossible. We need to get the bike lanes
22 back in.
23 24 I also want to echo the last speaker.
There has been some really dubious facts. I hear a lot
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114 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 of things like it is only going to add ninety seconds 2 but that does not take into consideration people coming 3 from the west. It doesn’t seem like the environmental 4 meeting, the MEPA meeting, it was decided that they 5 didn’t need to do the environmental study and again it 6 feels like this is being railroaded through without 7 looking at the actual facts. 8 9 It seems like where we are in the process is not too late. That what we are being asked here is 10 question about the design and I think it is overwhelming 11 that our question about the design is that putting the 12 bridge in would actually solve so many of these 13 problems. Instead of walling up communities and having 14 six lanes so we can’t get across. 15 The solution of the design really would 16 be to really honestly consider the bridge, which was 17 never really honestly considered from the beginning. 18 All these at­grade solutions and then oh well we could 19 put a bridge in but no one really wants a big bridge. 20 Yet that actually is what people want and we need to 21 look at it honestly. That should be where we begin to 22 look at this option really honestly. Thank you. 23 KATE FICHTER: Seventy­one. 24 NINA BROWN: I am seventy. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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115 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 KATE FICHTER: Oh excellent. 2 NINA BROWN: Nina Brown, I am president
3 of the Arboretum Park Conservancy. A Landscape
4 Architect and I was the editor for the Historic parkway
5 Preservation Treatment Guideline. I am enthusiastic
6 supporter of the at­grade alternative. I think it
7 balances all the different modes of transportation
8 really really well. It adds parkland to Franklin Park
9 and will enable a better entrance into Franklin Park
10 that is more accessible than the existing entrances.
11 It will improve connections between the 12 southwest corridor and the Blackwell footpath. I think 13 what it is going to look like is a continuation of the 14 Jamaica Way, the Arborway and the access it will have in 15 the median with a lot of open space on both sides that 16 has been tied up with other uses previously. I think it 17 is a wonderful thing. 18 My last comment is about Shea Square. My 19 husband and I were hit in our car driving through Shea 20 Circle. It is currently very unsafe and I think the 21 open space is much more useful on the park side than the 22 middle of the rotary. 23 24 The other thing is the rotary was not there during the parkway period of significance and that A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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116 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 is in the Historic Preservation Treatment Guidelines. 2 Thank you. 3 4 5 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Number seventy­one. ROBIN MAXFIELD: Hello, I am Robin 6 Maxfield. I live near the Monument on Centre Street. I 7 came into this process a little late, I am definitely 8 pro­bridge. I also have a background in real estate. 9 Someone got really upset at the last meeting because I 10 addressed real estate values. I haven’t heard that 11 anywhere here. It is a part of your report. 12 I am still unclear whether this is a done 13 deal, so that is what I am hearing. It is being 14 presented as if it is a done deal. Whatever point that 15 it is decided that this is a done deal this is something 16 that must be disclosed to any future buyer if you decide 17 to sell your house. 18 So I am not going to say how that will be 19 perceived just to say that it is a giant unknown a 20 process like this. A huge construction process like 21 this. It is a very long period of time. Once this is 22 decided, if you decide to sell your property it doesn’t 23 matter whether it is you or the real estate agent you A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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117 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 must disclose this to every potential buyer. So just 2 know that. Let’s fight this and get a bridge in.
3 KATE FICHTER: Seventy­two.
4 HEATHER CARITO: Hi, I’m Heather Carito,
5 C­A­R­I­T­O. I live at 18 Asticou Road at the bottom of 6 the hill right across from Forest Hills Station. I have 7 grave concerns about this whole process and the solution 8 that has been presented to us. I believe that the 9 traffic going through Forest Hills is inherently much 10 less safe than what is currently going through there. 11 You are going to be mixing thirty­six thousands cars a 12 day going through there along with bicycles and people. 13 In addition, you are putting in traffic
14 lights. Traffic lights back up traffic. There are
15 times and I don’t know the reason why but when I drive
16 through Forest Hills which I do multiple times a day
17 when the lights are blinking. I have noticed that even
18 if it’s say late afternoon there is no traffic. The
19 cars are still moving right along through. Traffic
20 lights are going to back up the traffic.
21 I would much rather cross under the 22 bridge, I walk into JP Center all the time. I don’t 23 love it but I don’t hate it either. I would much rather 24 cross the two single lanes of traffic on either side of A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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118 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 the bridge than I would Columbus Ave by Roxbury 2 Community College with six lanes of traffic. That is 3 terrifying. I have done that crossing many times. I do 4 not see myself crossing six lanes of traffic in Forest 5 Hills. I won’t want to live there anymore. 6 Another thing is when I moved to Forest 7 Hills all of a sudden I developed Asthma. I only moved 8 from a mile and a half away. 9 MICHAEL TREPANIER: That is two minutes. 10 HEATHER CARITO: Well those are – I want 11 to see a nicely designed bridge in my neighborhood. 12 13 14 KATE FICHTER: Great number seventy­
three. JOHN ALLEN: Seventy­five, John Allen. I 15 go back bicycling like my friend Jessica that is over 16 thirty years in the Boston area. I support the bridge 17 and I support it because it is so much better for 18 bicyclists. I heard that it supports short spans, it 19 also supports a six and seven lane wide crossing. That 20 is a total contradiction. 21 I have seen someone who is well 22 intentioned here claim that these paths alongside the 23 roads are going to be safer. Sure, they are safer for 24 someone riding in the park with their kids but for A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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119 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 someone who wants to commute through and doesn’t want to 2 wait for a minute at each of several different 3 intersections to get through this place where we can now 4 get through in one shot on the overpass. That is not 5 going to work. They are going to run the traffic 6 lights. You are going to have huge delays for 7 bicyclists, delays for motorists, because they have to 8 wait for these crosswalks and that just doesn’t work. 9 There is more green space with a bridge. 10 As for our friends of Mattapan and Dorchester, yeah, 11 there are people that do have to drive through here but 12 I also point out let’s not be just blinder about the 13 traffic mix. It is going to change. There will not be 14 as many private cars probably. They are more expensive 15 to drive or the fuel will change. There will be more 16 human powered vehicles or slow vehicles like mopeds, 17 motorcycles, electric assist bicycles. There will be a 18 wider range of traffic mix. The more flexibility you 19 can engineer into the system the better and that is 20 engineered by having streets that accommodate all kinds 21 of traffic. 22 23 KATE FICHTER: That is two minutes, thank you. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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120 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 JOHN ALLEN: Okay. One more sentence. 2 That is not accommodated by setting up two separate and 3 unequal categories of traffic and separating them. 4 Thank you. 5 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Is there 6 anybody else who hasn’t spoken who has a number? Okay 7 come on down. You can duke it out on who goes first. 8 JANELL FONTANA: Janell Fontana, F­O­N­T­
9 A­N­A. I am in the neighborhood that is not highlighted 10 but it is there with many dwellers. I am very happy 11 with the at­grade solution that has been adopted. I 12 truly see it as a forward looking approach. I also see 13 as a benefit that this solution will finally connect the 14 Forest Hills area to JP. As for the traffic fears that 15 have been expressed the traffic study shows that the 16 volume can be handled. So it seems to me that the study 17 shows the volume can be handles is not really been 18 expressed fully to the people. 19 At the same time, you also know that 20 public transportation is increasing with people using 21 more of those options for pedestrians and bicyclists. 22 Living at Martinwood Road I also recognize the need on 23 the part of the designers to pay full attention to a 24 respectful solution to the issue of the buses turning A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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121 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 across from Asticou Road will be addressed. The people 2 living there deserve it. 3 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. 4 BILL REYELT: Thank you. I’m Bill 5 Reyelt, I am representing Walk Boston here tonight. R­
6 E­Y­E­L­T. I own a home at 24 Canton Road and I am very 7 active with the Stony Brook Neighborhood Association. I 8 have a strong interest in the evolution of the 9 Washington Street corridor between Forest Hills and 10 Eggleston Square. 11 12 Initially, I just want to make one 13 observation that there doesn’t seem to be anything 14 terribly remarkable about these traffic volumes and the 15 proposed configuration is not dissimilar from any number 16 of intersections in the Metropolitan area, Kenmore 17 Square, Coolidge Corner, Congress Street down in 18 Government Center. So when people describe this as some 19 massive six or seven lane highway it just doesn’t really 20 ring true for us. 21 A side from that I want to make a few 22 points, specific points. We do remain concerned about 23 some specific issues the lane widths on the inside 24 lanes. I would like to see those as narrow as possible. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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122 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 That will make for slower traffic. More moderate speeds 2 to be accepted as possible. The double lane turn at 3 Shea we were opposed to that. We don’t think it is 4 necessary and it is not good for pedestrians. 5 To the extent of this proposed park at
6 the end of the southwest corridor looks something like
7 that. I think that there is not really a direct design
8 line for pedestrians. Is that it?
9 MIKE TREPANIER: That’s time.
10 BILL REYELT: Okay. Can I?
11 KATE FICHTER: No, you can write it in.
12 BILL REYELT: Yes.
13 KATE FICHTER: Thank you, Bill.
14 TOM BERTURS: Hello, my name is Tom
15 Berturs, B­E­R­T­U­R­S. I drive, bike, walk, bus and go 16 to Forest Hills on a regular basis. I am a long time 17 traffic engineer. I have been involved with project all 18 around the world. I just wanted to mention that this is 19 the global trend. This is what is happening all around 20 the world. I am very happy with this project. 21 The one thing I haven’t heard tonight is
22 the idea of traffic induction when you build a bridge
23 and do some more care trips, so you all have more cars
24 and you make it worse for people at either end of the
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123 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 bridge. In this time of global warming, as someone had 2 mentioned we should really think about do we really want 3 more greenhouse admissions? 4 One of the comments on the bike
5 facilities I really like the grates. They are
6 innovative. They are the first place in the United
7 States that has something like this. It has never been
8 done before. I am really impressed by this. There is
9 one city in North America, only one city in North
10 America that has the cycle tracks and that is Montreal.
11 It is really well done.
12 So I do have a question for the
13 engineers. Instead of Cambridge style leading
14 pedestrian intervals can we do what Montreal does they
15 use something that is called leading through interval
16 which actually has a slightly better level of service
17 for the motor vehicles. Can someone answer that?
GARY MCNAUGHTON: I have to admit you
18 19 caught me with the leading through interval is not
20 something that I have seen.
TOM BERTURS: I can show you what it
21 22 looks like.
GARY MCNAUGHTON: Yeah, I would be
23 24 interested.
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124 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 2 KATE FICHTER: Maybe you guys can chat about it.
3 MIKE TREPANIER: Take him to Montreal.
4 TOM BERTURS: Is that time?
5 MIKE TREPANIER: You have another twenty
6 seconds if you like to use it. 7 TOM BERTURS: I could just explain the
8 interval. Instead of everyone stopping, the motor
9 vehicles go through, if there is a right turn the motor
10 vehicles ­­ a right turn car in the right lane any car
11 behind him has to stop and wait but instead of the
12 leading force leading pedestrian interval you actually
13 has a little more time more like eight to nine seconds
14 which is better for the cyclists and pedestrians. So
15 maybe you can follow Montreal and implement that.
KATE FICHTER: Is there anybody else who
16 17 wants to speak who has not. Yes, come on down please.
MARTIN BERNERT: Hello, my name is Martin 18 19 Bernert. I live at 19 Martinwood Road right at the 20 Asticou/Martinwood Neighborhood there. KATE FICHTER: Can you spell your last
21 22 23 24 name please.
MARTIN BERNERT: B­E­R­N­E­R­T.
Unfortunately, I just got here late and didn’t get to
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125 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 hear the rest of the presentation. I just want to put
2 on the record that as much as I would like there not to
3 be a bridge I don’t really think it is going to work as
4 well as people say it might, or should, or would. So I
5 want to say that I am not in favor of the bridge being
6 removed and not being replaced.
7 I prefer single lane in each direction 8 going up streamline one lower, very clean lines, very 9 easy access. We can transport the people who go through 10 the neighborhood much quicker. In non­rush hour times, 11 I don’t think it is going to be that big of a deal but 12 when the morning rush hours and evening rush hours hit, 13 I think it is going to be not as functioning as people 14 hope. 15 In addition to that, the Asticou Road the 16 changes that they are making there at the MBTA bus exit 17 there, I don’t think that is very good for the 18 neighborhood either. Either something needs to be done 19 there like a wall or keep it how it is. For the folks 20 that live there it is going to be a nightmare with the 21 buses and the lights all night long, well to twelve 22 o’clock. It is not going to be good for them down 23 there. That is what I have to say. Thank you. 24 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Anybody else. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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126 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 CAM WILSON: My name is Cam Wilson, W­I­
2 L­S­O­N. I live in Stony Brook 72 Boylston Street, 3 Jamaica Plain. I would like to know what the process is 4 for getting a bridge. It sounds and feels like to me as 5 if you are just listening to us and not thinking you are 6 going to do anything about it. I think most of us here 7 tonight would like a bridge. I would like to know if 8 you had an alternate design to consider if you have even 9 considered it and I would like to know what the process 10 11 is to get the bridge design. STEVE MCLAUGHLIN: What we have spent a 12 year of planning studies to look at alternatives and the 13 alternatives that we came up with we presented to you 14 back in March was an at­grade solution. We have spent 15 the last year working on this at­grade solution and 16 presented it to you tonight the 25% design that is the 17 at­grade solution. We have made our decision to work 18 toward developing these plans into a final design that 19 will go out for bid in October. We very much 20 appreciate your comments on these designs as they do 21 make for a better project. 22 CAM WILSON: Do you consider a bridge? 23 KATE FICHTER: Are there any more formal 24 questions that anyone wants to make on the record? Any A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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127 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 other comments that any one wants to come down. Wait 2 before everyone runs away Paul has a closing comment 3 that he needs to make. More comments, oh yes please. 4 SARAH BUERMANN: My name is Sarah 5 Buermann, B­U­E­R­M­A­N­N. I live on Wells Hill Street, 6 one of the streets that will become impossible to get 7 out of if the at­grade comes through, as I understand it 8 will. I want to express that my complaint with this 9 design is that it does not resolve the problem. 10 It resolves the problem for DOT because 11 my understanding the at­grade will be taken care of by 12 DCR and the DOT will not have to repair the bridge. 13 That is my best understanding. I would like to be 14 disadvised of that if that is an inaccurate 15 understanding. Overall, I would like to also be 16 registered as one of the voices who says that this 17 design is not a functional design. Therefore, it should 18 not be reconsidered. 19 20 21 KATE FICHTER: Thank you. Anybody else. Okay, Paul will close us out now. PAUL KING: Thank you everybody. We do 22 greatly appreciate the passion of the people here in 23 Jamaica Plain. We have been in this process, again for A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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128 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 about a year and a half, two years now. You’re concern 2 for your area and neighborhood is quite remarkable. 3 I guess we have concluded with questions 4 and comments. I do want to remind you that you can 5 greatly expand upon that, spend all the time you want. 6 Please use your mail­in sheet or mail it in, email it to 7 further expand and explain your comments fully if you 8 didn’t have enough time here particularly. 9 Before I close typically, we can stay as 10 long as anybody desires to answer questions, look at 11 plans outside, but we do have a time limit of ten. We 12 will be here until then if anybody would like to discuss 13 anything on the plans, go over anything, we are 14 obligated to do that. We are very happy to do that for 15 you. 16 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: What happens next? 17 RUSSELL HOLMES: When is the next 18 meeting, Paul? 19 20 PAUL KING: Do we have a date for the next – 21 KATE FICHTER: It is not set. 22 PAUL KING: The public meeting or the DAG 23 meeting. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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129 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013
1 2 KATE FICHTER: There will be DAGs in March and April. 3 PAUL GODFREY: There will be DAGs in 4 March and April, the dates for those have not been set 5 yet. We thought it appropriate following this meeting 6 that we would then be able to set those dates. So those 7 will be coming shortly. 8 9 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: When does notice of comments close? 10 PAUL GODFREY: As is indicated on the 11 slide in front of you notice of comment closes on March 12 13. So please by midnight on March 13, if you have 13 comment, please provide it. 14 15 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Is the number on the handout 605511 correct or is that one? 16 PAUL KING: 605511 is correct. 17 MIKE TREPANIER: No, 605116. 18 PAUL KING: 605511, it is just the five 19 missing. 20 21 22 23 MIKE TREPANIER: Oh, just the 5 is missing. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: When do you guys respond to the comments? A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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130 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 PAUL KING: Again, all the comments 2 everything said today will be incorporated in the 3 official transcripts and the official record. 4 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: You have to take 5 them into consideration and then let us know why you 6 changed what you changed. 7 PAUL KING: Correct, going forward from 8 here we listen to comments, concerns, and questions. We 9 disseminate those and we weigh them. We look at how 10 everything works in the design as we develop the design 11 and go forward from 25% to the next phase of 75% and 12 beyond. 13 MIKE TREPANIER: So in effect we don’t 14 respond directly to every single comment based on – you 15 can imagine based on the interest here – 16 17 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: So you have to publish and say this is the reason why – 18 KATE FICHTER: No we don’t. 19 MIKE TREPANIER: No we do not. We don’t 20 necessarily – that is something that we would do in a 21 much different process on a much higher level. In my 22 experience, we respond to comments for an environmental 23 impact statement or an environmental report. That is a 24 more standard practice for that area. For MassDOT to A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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131 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 respond to every single comment that we receive at the 2 25% design phase we would never be getting anything done 3 because we would be spending a lot of time writing 4 responses to comments and publishing those responses. 5 We do our best and trust me we will all 6 be reviewing every comment that is sent in. The 7 consultant team will spend many many hours evaluating 8 those, considering them, and then making changes to the 9 design as applicable or necessary or as possible; 10 feasible is the word we’ve used a lot tonight. We just 11 don’t have the capability to respond to every single 12 individual – 13 14 15 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: When are you going to publish the response? MIKE TREPANIER: Okay, I apologize. 16 There won’t be a published response. In essence we will 17 be responding to the comments when we present at our 18 next formal design meeting. Whether that is at 75% or 19 final design I am not terribly sure on the details there 20 because we still have more work to do with the Design 21 Advisory Group. 22 There won’t be a formal publication of 23 response to this person and that person and that person. 24 It will in affect be the product the next design meeting A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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132 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 where we do this again and present refinements to our 2 design. Number of the elements that Paul mentioned 3 those key elements that are still being addressed now as 4 we advance to the next design milestone. 5 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: So you are aware 6 that the purpose of notice and comments is for people to 7 raise concerns and then for you to be able to say the 8 reasons why these concerns are not valid. 9 MIKE TREPANIER: Of course and at our 10 next major public meeting like this we would be doing 11 that. We would say we heard a lot about this and this 12 is how we addressed it. We heard a lot about this and 13 this is how we addressed it. In terms of individual 14 comments that is not something that is something that is 15 part of the practice. 16 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: So there is no way 17 that all the comments made today that they don’t think 18 that there should be a bridge put up you’re not going to 19 incorporate that. So everyone that had that to say then 20 really nothing is going to change, right? 21 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Right. 22 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Unless we convince 23 our elected officials to change it. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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133 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 STEVE MCLAUGHLIN: The comments will be 2 incorporated into the plans and we plan on coming before 3 you again with a public information meeting around the 4 75% design stage. That should be in May or June. 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: That is not what
you are saying –
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: You are not
getting any of the comments about the bridge.
(INAUDIBLE PHRASES – TOO MANY SPEAKERS
FROM THE AUDIENCE AT ONCE)
PAUL GODFREY: This is not about the
bridge was made over a year ago and it’s –
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: How many people
14 want the at­grade and how many people don’t? Is there
15 any way to put that on the list?
16 RUSSELL HOLMES: Okay, Jessica has asked
17 me several times to speak on this and I keep hearing
18 something about politicians. I am Russell Holmes, I
19 represent parts of Mattapan, Dorchester, Hyde Park,
20 Roslindale, and JP, Ward 19. There has been this push
21 around the bridge. So the question around whether or
22 not we had a voice that ended about a year ago.
23 24 So yes, there has been a major effort to
still push for the bridge that decision was not made
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134 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 within the legislature. We didn’t have an earmark to 2 say go build a bridge. So the decision we are making 3 around a bridge or no bridge all fell within the 4 executive branch. So the secretary and the governor 5 decided that after hearing all the comments, after 6 hearing all the comments not only from the community but 7 also from us. So I had my challenges. I think most 8 folks new I lean to not liking the bowtie. I don’t like 9 the bowtie. I think not having a bridge hinges on the 10 bowtie and I think the bowtie from my perspective is not 11 a good idea. 12 That didn’t land within my decision 13 making. So we will as you see me here tonight I will be 14 here until everyone leaves. I will continue to comment 15 to the secretary as I hear things to make sure that your 16 input is involved. To say that you are not involved, I 17 totally disagree. We have heard all of the comments for 18 the last year and a half, quite frankly. 19 So those comments have been incorporated 20 into the design. They are making changes all along the 21 way. So when someone says we don’t have a 22 transportation meeting or enough discussions around 23 whether or not we were looking at transportation. I 24 asked them that we have more on transportation. I will A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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135 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 continue to do that. So when you say the elected
2 officials – when something bothers us I will make sure
3 we address it.
4 So this questions around who makes the
5 decision I did ask that Frank come to this meeting not
6 this one in particular, but one of these meetings but
7 one of these meetings. Someone was asking about these
8 folks not making the decisions Frank has committed to
9 make sure he comes here as well.
10 Bernie was demanding that Frank comes and 11 I thought it was not important just for Frank to meet 12 with Asticou Road but to meet with everyone. So that is 13 coming as well. We don’t have a date on when Frank is 14 going to be here but he has committed to me that he is 15 coming. I don’t know if he has relayed that to everyone 16 else. So we are going to continue to be here. You can 17 still advocate and whether or not there was a question 18 of bridge or no bridge quite frankly that has been 19 decided a very long time ago. 20 If you want to state as people have said
21 in the past something’s have happened and you have been
22 able to change their mind. That mind, yes. You can
23 continue to talk to us with some of us who agree or
24 disagree but that still presides in the executive
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136 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 branch. Just so you know it is not as though we have an 2 earmark in demand that the governor and his staff does 3 that. I will take a question. 4 5 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: So the governor decided. 6 RUSSELL HOLMES: Yes, this landed within 7 the Executive Branch and it landed within the Secretary 8 of Transportation. The Secretary of Transportation has 9 met with me personally about this many times. Almost 10 every time I see him if we go anywhere this comes up. 11 So yes, he knows, he understands it and it landed within 12 the Executive Branch because they are the ones who are 13 going to execute this. 14 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Who is it? 15 RUSSELL HOLMES: The Governor and the 16 Secretary Davies. 17 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: I would also like 18 to acknowledge that there are a lot of people who have 19 also been commenting towards at­grade in this 20 neighborhood. Like in the original comments on this 21 plan when we were deciding the at­grade and the bridge 22 there were 200 letters for at­grade and 69 that were for 23 – A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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137 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 RUSSELL HOLMES: So what Peter is talking 2 about to include the folks who said yes to at­grade. So 3 when we went to the process for all the comments what we 4 did was the secretary knew and his staff new exactly 5 when we started to weed out how many comments were sent 6 in. We literally said some of these folks don’t even 7 live in the neighborhoods which is some of the points 8 about whether or not there were lobbyist and people who 9 were advocates of Walk Boston or just the bikers and you 10 coming in a trying to take over the neighborhood. We 11 literally weeded out some of those folks and said who 12 actually lives in the neighborhood and lets count those 13 numbers as well. 14 15 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: I am a part of this community and I don’t appreciate that comment. 16 RUSSELL HOLMES: I understand. You may 17 not like it that is just the truth. People were trying 18 to take over. That is what some folks feel that there 19 has been a different agenda than just simply what’s 20 best. 21 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: You can also say 22 that people were organizing for the first time and 23 making their voice heard for the first time. A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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138 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 1 RUSSELL HOLMES: And you were heard and 2 some folks – there are comments around Boston, Mattapan, 3 Dorchester, I keep hearing that and I have also said 4 continually that I have been concerned about the fact 5 that folks here in JP have been concerned about whether 6 or not someone is on one street or another street is 7 being heard. I have been saying that we have whole 8 communities not being heard. So to that point I am 9 trying my best to be here and listen to all your 10 comments and as they bubble up I will make sure that I 11 communicate that to the secretary. Thank you. 12 STEVE MCLAUGHLIN: I want to thank you 13 all for coming this evening. This hearing is closed. 14 We will stay here as long as we have the building to 15 answer any of the personal questions you might have. 16 There are plans down on the back table you can also go 17 out there and have further discussion. Thank you very 18 much for this auditorium. 19 20 21 22 23 (Whereupon, the proceedings were concluded on 24 February 27, 2013 at 9:13 p.m.) A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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139 Design Public Hearing Jamaica Plain, MA February 27, 2013 C E R T I F I C A T E I, Tammy A. Hillery, do hereby certify that the foregoing record is a true and accurate transcription of the proceedings in the above­captioned matter to the best of my skill and ability. Tammy Hillery Tammy A. Hillery ** All names not provided were spelled phonetically to the best of my ability A T M , I N C . C o u r t R e p o r t i n g S e r v i c e s
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