And finally, it comes to an end.
The executive board of the Beacon Hill Civic Association unanimously approved a deal with Suffolk University that will allow for the construction of a new classroom building at 20 Somerset Street and that establishes a set of conditions that both parties will adhere to as Suffolk plans for its next ten years and beyond.
The agreement lifts the last vestiges of organized civic opposition o the project: Suffolk needs only to clear the various zoning and design hurdles of the city in order to see the project home.
Rob Whitney, who has served as the board’s liaison on the Suffolk Task Force, said that the deal represented significant concessions from Suffolk. “We got about 95% of what we wanted,” said Whitney. “I do believe that we have gotten as much as we can get.”
Among other provisos, the agreement establishes a non-expansion zone that includes almost all of Beacon Hill, though parts of the non-expansion zone only prohibit the building of dormitories. The agreement also calls for Suffolk to have a more aggressive plan for building student housing, with capacity to house 70% of its 5,000 undergraduates within 20 years.
Suffolk has also promised to close the Fenton building to classes, and to eliminate a total of 300 seats from the Temple/Derne street area by the time 20 Somerset opens, with the promise of other future closures on Beacon Hill as new athletic and student life facilities are built in other neighborhoods.
Suffolk’s enrollment cap of 5,000 will be enforced by a series of mechanisms, said Whitney. First, the BHCA will have the right to conduct its on internal audit of classroom numbers to confirm data provided by Suffolk. Enrollment overages will be worked out via face to face discussions, and if they fail, the parties will move to mediation. As a last resort, the BHCA will have the right to challenge Suffolk’s enrollment overages and any other violations of the agreement in court. Whitney also added that, in the event of any litigation, Suffolk will have to pay all of the BHCA’s attorney’s fees.
While all of the board members voted for the agreement, some were less enthusiastic about the end result. “We did not get our ultimate goal of being a neighborhood free of a major university,” said board member Tad Stahl, who called agreement “an uneasy truce” rather than a victory.
Board member David Thomas agreed: “We are hoping that the agreement will have a protective affect,” said Thomas. “But there is a process in place because of the changing nature of Suffolk University that will continue to march on. There is no example of an urban university living cheek to jowl with a residential neighborhood where the university has not caused significant hardship. This has not changed that, though it probably makes it less bad.”
Still, Whitney insisted that the deal will be workable if the parties see themselves as collaborators rather than opponents.
Suffolk Vice President John Nucci echoed Whitney’s sentiments. “I give a lot of credit to everyone involved, especially the negotiators on the Beacon Hill side; they were very aggressive in protecting their neighborhood’s interests, and they’ve received some unprecedented protections regarding future Suffolk expansion,” said Nucci. “I am very pleased that we’ve reached agreement. When folks approach these issues with an open mind, common ground can be found.”
Details of the deal, as provided by the BHCA, are as follows:
•Creation of a new “Non-Expansion Zone” placing nearly all of Beacon Hill under protected status;

•Classroom seats in the Derne/Temple area will be reduced as new classrooms are developed in other buildings at 20 Somerset Street and other buildings off Beacon Hill;

•The BHCA will not oppose Suffolk’s development of 20 Somerset Street into an arts school, with additional academic uses, as described in Suffolk’s Article 80 IMP proposal;

•The BHCA agrees to support Suffolk’s development of the Modern Theater dormitory project, subject to Article 80 Large Project Review;

•Suffolk agrees to pursue a goal of housing 50 percent of its undergraduates on-campus within 10 years; 60 percent within 15 years and 70 percent within 20 years;

•Suffolk will cease institutional use of the Ridgeway Building on Cambridge Street when a new athletic facility is built. The cafeteria in the Donahue Building on Temple Street will close when a new student center with a cafeteria is developed. A small food kiosk may remain in the Donahue Building;

•Suffolk agrees to make permanent its Office of Neighborhood Response program, including paid Boston Police details;

•Suffolk and BHCA will form a joint ad hoc committee, to meet at least quarterly, to discuss the implementation of the agreement.

•The agreement will be enforceable in court.

Overall crime in Beacon Hill was down from the same period last year for the fifth straight month in May, an encouraging sign, according to District Captain Bernard O’Rourke.
Overall, the month saw only 16 reported incidents, down slightly from 19 in May 2007. Overall, there have been 116 incidents in Beacon Hill this year, down from 386 through May 207: a decline of 75 percent.
“Of course it’s not all about stats, but the stats are good,” said Captain O’Rourke.
One slight wrinkle in the numbers is the amount of larcenies—mostly car breaks--which remained high at 14 for the month, up from 12 last May. Burglaries, however, continued to drop, with only 2 in the month and only 19 for the year.
There were no incidents of sexual assault, robbery, homicide, or assault on the Hill in May. This is the second straight month with no assaults, a positive sign since the new Liberty Hotel liquor license came with some concern about rowdy revelers, who often spike assault numbers in Downtown clubs. O’Rourke said he has been very pleased with the way the Clink club at Liberty has been run.
Overall, Beacon Hill remained the calmest neighborhood in the district, with fewer incidents than any except tiny Bay Village.
Residents should be aware of the possibility for unrest this week in the area around TD Banknorth Garden. District 1 police are currently preparing for the possibility of a Celtics championship celebration if Boston can win tonight or on Thursday. Police have had much better luck controlling major sporting events since a series of unruly scenes following Red Sox and Patriots championships earlier in the decade, but there are expected to be large crowds of people in the area.
“I’m just hoping they clinch in L.A.,” O’Rourke joked at last week’s meeting, although the Lakers have since put an end to that dream.

CAPTION: Arthur Anton Jr., executive vice president of Anton's Cleaners, and Marcos Vicente, store manager.

Marcos Vicente has been named manager of Anton's Cleaners, 37 Charles Street in Boston, the company's newest location. Vicente, a resident of Everett, MA, had served as manager of Anton's Cleaners location at 203 Massachusetts Avenue. Vicente has over 12 years experience in dry cleaning.
"I previously worked on Newbury Street, so I feel very comfortable that I can bring a high level of service to my customers at the Charles Street location," says Vicente. "I have already met some customers at this location who remembered me from Newbury Street, so it's a little like coming home. I'm delighted to be here and have the opportunity to serve the Beacon Hill community."

City Councilors Mike Ross and Sal LaMattina, businessman Tom Kershaw and prominent resident Henry Lee were among a number of Bostonians who toured a number of parks in New York City over the weekend in an effort to best determine what might be the most sensible road to take in the remaking of Boston’s Public Garden in the years to come.
The Bostonians toured Madison Park, Bryant Park and Central Park – all, of course, in Manhattan.
“What we saw is that private money goes into making these public parks what they are,” said LaMattina. He termed the tour a great success.
“At Bryant Park,” he said, “the city of New York has created a wonderful environment for the city’s residents. However, it was made possible with $8 million in private grants,” LaMattina added.
Councillor Ross said the fact finding mission was an eye opener.
“New York does great things with their open spaces – and we need to do the same,” he said.

Summer is here…enjoy it

As is typically the situation for those of us who live in Eastern Massachusetts, Mother Nature once again bypassed spring and brought us right into summer. The cool and rainy weather we experienced for most of the so called spring season, right up to the 50 degree high temperatures of last week, gave way to the stifling hot days that were a shock to the system this week.
But now that summer is here, we urge our readers to take advantage of all that the City of Boston has to offer its residents during the summer months have.
Concerts and events on the Esplanade and the Common and boating on the Charles offer a wide range of entertainment options and things to do for the entire family that will create memories that will last a lifetime.
Even a simple stroll on a summer evening through the lush grounds of the Public Garden offers a unique opportunity to bring a sense of serenity at the end of the day that is lacking at other times of the year.
So while we join in the general lament that is a yearly ritual in these parts, "What happened to spring?" we nonetheless eagerly embrace the heat and yes, even the humidity, of the past few days.
Summer is here, and while the livin' may not be all that easy for most of us, all of us should make the most of the 10 short weeks that summer will be with us.