Something is a foot with the long awaited repairs to the Storrow Drive Tunnel. The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has awarded an $11.5M contract to SPS New England of Salisbury to make interim repairs on the tunnel, which will include replacing deteriorated concrete in the roof and wall sections, installing waterproofing membranes in roof joints and the storm water collection system in the tunnel will be connected to the groundwater recharge system along Back Street. The DCR also gave SPS another $5.69M contract to repair the Bowker Overpass that carries traffic westbound onto Storrow Drive from the Fenway. These repairs will include replacing the deck and roadway; replacing street lighting on the roadway and pedestrian lighting under the structure, repairing the cement support structures and repairing and painting the steel structure. The Bowker Overpass project is slated to begin in mid-June and finish in October 2009 while the Storrow Drive Tunnel is expected to start in July and last until the end of November and start again in the spring with a completion date in April 2009. However, the big question is where will the staging area be located for the tunnel repairs. The staging area for the Bowker Overpass will be located adjacent to the Beacon Street on ramp, according to DCR spokesperson Wendy Fox, while the staging area for the Storrow Drive Tunnel has yet to be decided by the contractor or DCR. This uncertainty has many officials and residents concerned. The location of the staging area will certainly be among the top issues at the hearing scheduled for June 4 from 6-8:30 p.m. in the Boston Public Library’s Rabb Auditorium, 700 Boylston Street. "It's very important for people who care about the Esplanade to come to the June 4th meeting. State officials need to know that we are watching them like hawks to protect our beloved parkland," said long-time Esplanade advocate Linda Cox. Patrice Todisco from The Esplanade Association also echoed these concerns. “We encourage everyone who is interested in the project to attend to assure that the park is protected during the tunnel repairs as we have not seen plans for the staging area,” she said. DCR officials also noted that while the work is being undertaken on the Bowker Overpass, pedestrians on the Charles River walkway will be detoured by a 10-foot-wide floating walkway in the Charles River around the work site. “Since these repair projects may have an impact on local residents, I encourage those who have questions and concerns to attend the public meeting. This is an opportunity to meet with the state officials who are responsible for ensuring that the project goes smoothly and with a minimum of disruption in our community,” said Representative Marty Walz.

The Taste of Beacon Hill was held last Tuesday at the Liberty Hotel, where a sold-out crowd enjoyed great food and helped support the Beacon Hill Business Association. One of the highlights of the event was the presentation of the first-ever Beacon Hill Business Association "Excellence Award," to Babak Bina of Babak Bina, Bin 26 Enoteca and Lala Rokh. Mr. Babak is a former president and chairman of the Beacon Hill Business Association. He is pictured with his wife, Coryn Bina (right), and Donna Petro, of the Cambridge Trust Company and president of Beacon Hill Business Association.

The Boston Redevelopment Authority hosted a public meeting regarding a proposal for the construction of a 10-story mixed-use office and commercial development at 212 and 222 Stuart St. in the Bay Village neighborhood of Boston.
Approximately 15 area residents attended the informational session that was moderated by Maria Faria, assistant director of housing at the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The meeting was held at the Radisson Hotel at 200 Stuart St.
Rena, LLC, in conjunction with Hera Development Corporation of Brighton, proposes to redevelop the site at 212 Stuart St., formerly occupied by Jae’s restaurant, and at 222 Stuart St. that has been used as a parking lot.
Gary Hendren, architect at Hendren Design Associates, presented a very professional and concise outline of the project, complete with large illustrations showing the proposed project from several angles on Stuart Street and the visual impact it would have on the neighborhood that encompasses the South Cove residences to the west and the Radisson to the east.
“What we plan to do is combine the two sites, 212 and 222 Stuart St., and construct a new building which will be a total of 10 stories,” Hendren told the audience. “It will be commercial on the first two floors and offices on floors 3-10.”
Hendren said the proposed building would be 112 feet tall while noting that the adjacent South Cove residences are 96 feet tall and the Radisson Hotel garage is 94 feet tall.
“One of our concerns during this process how the building relates to the Bay Village,” said Hendren. “One the concerns was how to scale down the building as we approach village. We’re scaling down as we approach Bay Village.”
Hendren touched briefly on the history of the building. “The old Jae’s building was at one point actually a church so the brick façade on Shawmut Street is an original façade from the 1830s of an Episcopal church. That was altered in 1939 when they left the rear façade, cut off the front façade, and added on the art deco façade.”
Hendren said that any type of loading by trucks into the building will come off of Stuart Street. “We will have as minimal impact as possible back on to the Bay Village side of the building,” said Hendren. “The loading dock, which is required by zoning, will be placed off Stuart Street. Pedestrians will come out on Stuart Street. Pedestrians can enter the building from the pedestrian plaza which is at the end of Church Street.”
Hendren said the upper floors of the building “are fairly typical. Each one is about 6,000 square feet to 6,500 square feet depending on what floor you’re on. At this point, they’re standard lease office space with two elevators, two staircases, and rest room facilities.
“We’ve had a good response from the lease community,” said Hendren. “Apparently this size of a footprint is fairly hard to find.”
Hendren felt the meeting, which was one of several that had been held on the proposal, was a productive one. “I thought the meeting went very well,” said Hendren. “The questions were very good.
Jessica Shumaker, spokesperson for the BRA, said a “scoping session” was held Monday about the Stuart Street project. “The scoping session is an open public session and a phase in our process where we invite all the city agencies, like environment, water and sewer, and transportation, and anyone who would be giving us comments to get a rundown of the project, to be able to ask questions. It’s a standard part of our process.”