Filed under: North End
NORTH END– On a recent weekday afternoon, a flood of college students and adults making their trip home from the North End shuffle through the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway around 5 p.m. But unlike bustling fall afternoons, these afternoon commuters don’t stop and mingle in the once warm stretch of green lawn that has now turned desolate in the cold Boston winter season.
At a time when other Boston parks begin the holiday season with winter activities, the newly built greenway faces its second winter season and struggles to find use for the greenway to benefit North End residents and visitors.
“With the park out here instead of the raised highway, people are coming in here a lot more often,” Christine Scanlon said, a server at local restaurant Mother Anna’s. “Tourists wouldn’t really walk under the highway before. But I don’t know how the winter is going to change that.”
In the summer, the greenway is draws visitors to the green lawn and fountains. The greenway’s conservancy recently finished the task of placing sea wall granite stones around the fountains in the park to protect the equipment in the winter months.
Other parks in the area, like the Boston Common, adapts to winter months by offering winter activities to residents like ice skating and draws visitors to the area with light displays. The Boston Common is also an integral part of First Night Boston, the citywide New Year’s celebration.
Some residents think even through the winter months, the greenway could continue to be a popular spot for North End residents.
“I don’t know if it really will affect residents in the winter,” said Meghan Robinson, a 21-year-old resident of the North End. “I always see people out there with their dogs so I think that will continue even when it gets cold out.”
While the cold weather has left the greenway void of visitors on most days, the calendar on the greenway’s website is also empty, with no events planned until January. Statements issued by the conservancy said that their main concern is planning for the upcoming spring season.
“The horticultural team has put the parks to bed for the season and we now turn our attention to lessons learned from our first year in operation, and plan for 2010,” the official Rose F. Kennedy Greenway Conservancy website said.
Filed under: Jamaica Plain
By Alexandra Gyarfas
JAMAICA PLAIN — The neighborhood of Jamaica Plain went out to vote on the 22 of September, for the municipal preliminary election. About 24 percent of the residents participated. Even though this is a high number for the preliminaries, it still represents a very small amount of voters in the community. This issue raises concerns about the political participation in the area.
“Most people didn’t vote,” said Sandra Story, editor and publisher of the Jamaica Plain Gazette, “This is the way it always is in preliminary elections, but it is a small number.”
The results showed that Mayor Thomas M. Menino was the most popular candidate. City Councilor Sam Yoon had a mere 25 fewer votes than Menino, according to the Jamaica Plain Gazette. Residents seemed to favor Menino’s experience.
Joel Ohalloas, member of the Agassiz Community Center, told me, “He’s been mayor for 16 years, so for 16 years people have heard his name. They vote for what they know.”
Menino’s long presence in the mayor’s office has led some residents to support Flaherty and Yoon, not for their campaign, but for “something different.”
“New broom sweeps plain,” said James Devaney, 64, retired, “I like Flaherty. I don’t know why. Politicians should be Irish!”
Elderly crowds support Menino for his services and commitment to his word.
“He don’t tell stories,” said Valerie Smart. “He gets things done, stands for what he says, so he is well, popular. I like him a lot and hope they vote for him.”
Yoon’s strategy was to connect with minorities and people without resources, but wealthier areas in the community support him, while the poorest sectors favor Menino.
Regardless of which candidate Jamaica Plain’s residents support, the expectations for future plans in the community remain similar.
“We need gun control, and to get rid of violence,” Smart said.
They worry about violence; and the number of homeless people in the streets stand as a priority to be covered by the mayor.
“Get the muggers off the street,” Smith said. “We have issues with security. Cops are great, though. We just need more.”
Even though the sectors of the community favor different candidates, Menino’s presence is still well appreciated for his previous work in the community.
“He does a lot,” Devaney said. “He puts kids in school, plus he’s a happy guy.”
Filed under: Jamaica Plain
By Alexandra Gyarfas
JAMAICA PLAIN— Around a year ago, on Oct. 27 2008, the MBTA, the Executive Office of Transportation and the City of Boston began to work on a project concerning the Bus Route 39. They assembled for the first time at the Agassiz School with the Citizen’s Working Group and members of the Jamaica Plain community to discuss an enhancement plan on such route. Today, this project is close to becoming a reality.
“The improvements being proposed are intended to improve accessibility, reduce bus trip times by 10 to 15 percent, increase service reliability, and improve passenger comfort and convenience,” said Joe Pesaturo, MBTA spokesman.
As more people occupy the seats of the Route 39 buses -making it have the second highest ridership of all bus routes- the MBTA works on several changes to improve the route’s corridor service and accessibility, according to the EOT.
“I think there are a lot of stops,” Lina Dolph, 24, a regular user of the Route 39, said. “When you go to work it becomes an inconvenience because there are stops everywhere and it takes too long.”
Serving several stops from Back Bay to Forest Hills, some of the problems with Route 39 are that 50 percent of the bus stops are spaced too close together, and many of them don’t have shelters, according to the EOT. Also, seniors and persons with disabilities have limited access to the buses. Other problems include illegally parked cars that block the bus stops, bunching along the routes, and schedule adherence.
“It’s a good thing that they are taking care of the [illegally parked] cars, they are a problem for everybody,” said Nora Begley, 43, a regular user.
Pesaturo said that the project consists in consolidating and relocating bus stops along the five-mile corridor, modifying bus stop lengths and adjust parking as needed to improve accessibility. In addition, the MBTA will improve traffic signal phasing and timing at select intersections, construct full curb extensions at two to four locations, and accommodate bus stops with shelters and other amenities.
All these improvements have an estimated cost of $500,000, which will be founded by the ARRA grants, according to the MBTA. Few users don’t agree with some of the modifications,
“I don’t think [relocating] the stops is a good idea,” Tamekka McNeil, 21, a regular user, said. “The [Route] 39 is too crowded as it is, and if there is not the same number of stations, there will be no way to sit down.”
Users argue that relocating the stations concern the public the most.
“[The changes] are great depending on the stops they will get rid of,” said Shane Hassey, 24, a user of the Route 39. “My stops are spaced with equal distance from each other, so it’s more convenient”.
Pesaturo said Transit Corridor improvements are in the design phase and construction is anticipated to begin in Spring 2010. Loyal Route 39 users await the results, concerned with the way the changes will affect them.
“I think the [Route] 39 is well organized and benefits a lot of people, so they shouldn’t make a lot of changes,” said Begley.
Filed under: Jamaica Plain
By Alexandra Gyarfas
JAMAICA PLAIN- Colors, arts and crafts, and musical instruments guide the way toward a room filled with products of creativity, in which kids and adults get their artistic side working, sharing laughs and their work to each other. Jomar Lopez stands up with enthusiasm and offers help to the new crowds. He is a member of Spontaneous Celebrations, Jamaica Plain’s community center, and dedicates his talents in arts and music to teach the youth of the neighborhood.
“It’s like home”, Lopez said, “There is no other way to describe it. People want you to succeed here, they help you. If you feel like talking to somebody, you can. Everyone is very friendly.”
Spontaneous Celebrations’ mission is to “create and sustain a community cultural life that unites and empowers people for positive change through the arts,” according to their website. Since 1979, it has developed different programs to accomplish such goals. Lopez is an important member of the community center, and gets involved in every project possible.
“It’s a part of him,” Jen Kiok said, one of Lopez’ colleagues, “He’ll be in any festival without anyone asking.”
Lopez first arrived at the center as a result of his misconduct, at age 11. After being identified as a “trouble maker”, one of Jamaica Plain’s middle school teachers, Ms. Rosalba, saw Lopez outside the principal’s office. She referred him to Spontaneous Celebrations, hoping it would change Lopez’s path.
“She looked at me as I was walking into the office and asked, ‘are you in trouble?’” said Lopez, “After noting I was in trouble, she gave me a handout about Spontaneous Celebration’s middle school program. So I came, and people were painting. So I started painting. And I kept coming every single day ever since.”
Now a college student, his responsibilities include organizing fairs, parades and musical events; visual arts, painting and music workshops for the middle school program; sex and drugs workshops for the high school program; reaching out to the community, making sure more people join the center; drum lessons for little kids, among others.
“I give class on Saturdays to 20, or 25 little kids, and I mean two or three-year-olds,” said Lopez, laughing, “It actually sounds like music! It’s like a big jam.”
Lopez claimed the center has influenced who he is today, and he hopes to bring that same influence to his students and members of Jamaica Plain’s community.
“Jomar grew up here and lives a few blocks away,” said Kiok, “He feels it’s his second home, and it is. So that’s why he wants to give back.”
According to other members of the center, Lopez dedication and teaching skills have had a good influence on the students.
“He always has a positive attitude,” Maaak Pelletier, member of the center, said, “His presence is full of love and happiness, and it has had a good effect on the kids of the program.”
Lopez plans to continue in the center, providing all the help possible, and changing other people’s lives, as it has changed his own.
“[Spontaneous Celebrations] made me realize things about myself,” said Lopez, “I went from being a bad boy to a good boy, behaving better in school as I kept attending the center. It made me want to be successful. And these thoughts still remain today. Nobody tells you that you can’t do nothing. “
