September 24, 2007

To The Editor

The Cambridge Chronicle

Dear Sir:

I have been wondering for a couple of years now when the new park in East Cambridge on the Charles at North Point will finally open. I am not talking about the North Point development project, which is

located on the other side of the Gilmore Bridge in the old B & M rail

yards. You may have seen the park to your left as you go into Boston on the O’Brien Highway or from the Green Line going across the viaduct between Lechmere and SciencePark stations. If not you should go and take a look. Downriver from the Dam and viaduct, located on the old Federal Distillers site, you will see a beautiful thing. This new park, five or so acres in size, has two islands, four bridges, paths, fields, really nice plantings, and a playground. You will also see that it is surrounded by a big chain link fence decorated with a lovely selection of no trespassing signs.

I live in East Cambridge and walk into Boston several times each week to work in Haymarket Square. While dodging traffic and duck boats going in and out of the Museum of Science driveways, I get a view of this park. It has looked just days away from opening for over two years. In fact in the summer of 2005 there was a sign on one of the gates announcing its opening in the summer of 2004! That was my first clue that things were not going well.

Last week, I couldn’t take it any more so I started some inquiries. I

e-mailed the members of the City Council and the Cambridge Chronicle asking if they knew anything and could do some investigating and advocating about these delays. Councilor Davis replied “I will look into this.” Councilor Maher replied, “I have submitted a Council order for Monday’s meeting regarding your concerns.” Councilor (and State Rep.) Toomey, to his credit, responded with actual knowledge of the issue and related that he recently met with project representatives on the site and was given some explanation and assurance that he will try to get an update. The Chronicle said that they would look into it and suggested writing a letter to the editor, ergo.

I also called Mass. DCR, which I assumed to be the responsible

agency. The next day I got a call back from someone there who told me that while upon completion the park is to be turned over to DCR, it is a Big Dig project. At that point, all of this made a bit more sense. I still wasn’t ready to give up, though, so I searched the Mass. Turnpike Authority’s Big Dig website for contact information and found a form to e-mail questions and comments. I sent in some and was not expecting to get any further there based on their reputation for accountability. However, a couple of days later, I got a call. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take notes at the time, but wrote the gist of it down later that night.

I spoke with Fred Yalouris whose job title has architecture and

engineering in it, but I don’t remember it precisely. In my e- mail,

I asked several questions about what is still to be done and what the holdups are. Here is what I was told.

1. When construction began the site was found to be contaminated with asbestos. This had to be cleaned up before park construction began and took a long time. However park construction began in 2002 or 2003 as I recall

2. Most of the trees need to be replaced. During the recent dry

weather, they were allowed to dry up and die.

3. The granite edgestones were not manufactured to specifications and had to be sent back to the contractor for reworking and or

replacement. As far as I can tell, this has been done for some time now.

4. The coating (high tech paint) on the railings along the riverbank

“failed”, as in cracked and peeled. Some three hundred sections of

this had to be sent back to the contractor for sandblasting and re-

coating. They have not come up with a temporary solution and several sections are still missing.

5. When the park is turned over to the DCR, all obligations on the

part of these contractors ends and all costs and liabilities will

fall to DCR. DCR doesn’t want any part of it until everything is fixed.

6. Mr. Yalouris said he thought that the park would open in mid to

late October.

Forgive me if I’m skeptical, but my daughter who was six when we

started looking forward to playing in this park is about to turn ten.

I hope she hasn’t grown up and moved away by the time it happens.

With this degree of monitoring and oversight, one has to be thankful that more people haven’t died as a result of shoddy materials and workmanship on the Big Dig. However, as we have recently seen in the Turnpike Authority’s decision to reverse the monumentally stupid decision not to open the Mass Pike U-turn lane at the Allston exit until after the toll hike, maybe the can be persuaded to put some real pressure on these guys and get it done. Mr. Yalouris gave me his phone number at MTA and said to call if I have any further concerns.

My biggest concern is that he will think that I’m the only one that

really cares, and therefore he won’t really have to worry about it.

So PLEASE call him. His number is 617 951-6015. He is a public

employee, we pay his salary, don’t be afraid to let him know that you care. Call your city councilors (it is an election year) and state

rep. and senator too.

Thank you,

Mark Jaquith

Hurley Street