Following an allegation from a Beacon Hill resident that police failed to prevent an attempted robbery last month by failing to respond to a call for a group of suspicious individuals in the area, Captain Bernard O’Rourke of Boston Police Area A-1 refuted the claim and encouraged the public to call 911 instead of district stations.
“[District stations] don’t have the capability at district station to act like 911 and dispatch officers,” O’Rourke said. “The people working at the front desks of district stations are generally civilian employees who aren’t trained to handle 911 calls. It’s important to call 911, regardless of the [severity of the] incident.”
During a May 26 community meeting at the Mount Vernon Firehouse regarding two attempted robberies on Beacon Hill the previous week, a neighborhood resident said his wife called 911 on the evening of May 19 to notify police of a suspicious group of youths she observed while exiting a cab on Beacon Hill. The man said the call taker instructed his wife to call Area A-1 headquarters instead, perhaps failing to prevent an attempted robbery that took place at the corner of Cedar and Mount Vernon streets a short while later. The suspects in both incidents fit similar descriptions,.
Following the meeting, O’Rourke spoke with the man’s wife, who said she had in fact called A-1 headquarters to report the suspicious individuals. The call taker then followed proper protocol and directed the call to 911. O’Rourke said officers were responding to the location that the woman described at approximately the same time that the attempted robbery took place.
Paula O’Keeffe, chair of the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) Safety Committee, said, “People need to realize that the police are on our side and 991 calls will be responded to very quickly.”
BHCA Executive Director Suzanne Besser added that O’Rourke often reminds residents to always call 911 and that calls are prioritized depending on the severity of the incident.
“Police reports show that officers do respond very quickly, and this is usually a result of when people call 911 as Captain O’Rourke has recommended in the past,” Besser said.

After learning that young adults make up nearly half of the neighborhood’s population, the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) is targeting this younger demographic to join the longstanding volunteer organization.
The BHCA Planning and Research Committee was compiling data for a recent planning forum and discovered that nearly 48 percent of Beacon Hill residents were between the ages of 22 and 34, based on information from Census 2000 for Massachusetts. In response, the BHCA Membership Committee has scheduled a forum on Thursday night, hoping to enlist young adults in the neighborhood organization.
“The goal is to get younger residents, between the ages of 22 and 34, involved in recruiting members from their demographic and to get more information on what kinds of advocacy and what types of programs and events would draw that age group to the Civic Association,” said BHCA Board Member and Membership Committee Co-Chair Meghan Haggerty, who is organizing the forum.
The Friends of Beacon Hill, a neighborhood organization that has successfully attracted young adults with programming like “Wicked Wednesdays,” holiday decorating and an annual ball, is also helping to plan the forum.
Haggerty is optimistic that the forum will help recruit young members to the Civic Center, but she admits that just how many are now living in the neighborhood came as a surprise to even her.
“Over the past few years, I have discussed with other board members how the board itself has gotten a little younger and that more young people are settling in the neighborhood, but even so, I didn’t think the proportion was this high,” Haggerty said.
BHCA Executive Director Suzanne Besser is eager to bring “new blood” into the organization.
“We’re very enthusiastic about bringing young people into our association,” Besser said, “and we’re looking for them to be our future leaders.”
The Beacon Hill Civic Center Membership Committee will hold its Forum for Beacon Hill’s Young Adults at 74 Joy St. on Thursday, June 11, at 7 p.m. For more information, call 617-227-1922.

Brian Zick sold cold refreshments and sweets during Sunday's Beacon Hill Art Walk for Boy Scouts of America Troop 56.

If you live on an already busy street like Commonwealth Avenue or Newbury Street in the Back Bay, you can probably do without the addition of loud motorcycles at 1 a.m. speeding down the street with their crackling exhaust that triggers sensitive car alarms. If you are annoyed by this, and if you were previously annoyed by ice cream trucks that blare their music in the neighborhood, don’t fear, because City Councilor Sal LaMattina is on the job once again. Last week, the council passed LaMattina's proposed new citywide ordinance that would require motorcycle exhaust to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) noise emission requirements. “It’s a quality of life issue,” said LaMattina. “I get phone calls from constituents all the time, complaining about loud motorcycles barreling down the street, making noise at all hours of the night.” In response to feedback from residents, especially those in the Back Bay, LaMattina held a committee hearing recently with the goal of reducing excessive motorcycle noise, which some say intrudes on their quality of life, and others describe as a “health issue”. The meeting of the Committee on Government Regulations was convened in response to LaMattina’s proposal that would fine owners of motorcycles that aren’t labeled to indicate that they meet federal standards. “This is just a simple tool that will help us crack down on the few really loud motorcycles that are, on occasion, disturbing the peace in residential neighborhoods,” said LaMattina. “It’s not a judgment on anyone. If mufflers are stamped, that’s fine; if not, police can issue a violation.” The US Environmental Protection Agency has specifications regarding exhaust system noise, and the proposed ordinance would levy a $300 fine on the owners of bikes that are modified to increase decibel levels beyond the legal limit. “My main concern is late at night, once bars close, motorcycles will go down Commonwealth Avenue and Newbury Street, and because of their loud noise, they wake up people in the neighborhood,” explained LaMattina. Several Back Bay residents testified at the hearing, noting that their neighborhood is particularly affected by this problem because of narrow streets, dense housing and many eateries that are open late at night. Loud motorcycles, one witness said, “can wake up kids, wake up dogs, wake up people and set off car alarms.” Councilors Maureen Feeney, District 3, and Robert Consalvo, District 5, expressed support for the proposal, and representatives from the city’s police, transportation and environmental departments were also on hand to answer questions about the viability of such an ordinance. “I cannot have another summer like we did last year in the city,” LaMattina said, “a summer where loud motorcycles frequently disturbed the peace and there was no enforcement being done.” LaMattina isn’t the first to suggest this remedy, and already, Denver and Fairfax County, Virginia, have enacted ordinances requiring exhaust system labels to combat excessive noise pollution. The EPA has recently codified a motorcycle and a motorcycle exhaust system labeling program which requires motorcycle and motorcycle exhaust system manufacturers to attach a permanent label to their manufactured products, stating that the product meets the EPA’s noise emission requirements. The purpose of the labels is to ensure that specific motorcycles and exhaust systems fully comply with their tested noise emission.

The Boston Parks and Recreation Department recently issued a request for proposals (RFP) to create new energy-efficient lighting for the winter holiday tree display on Boston Common, adding that it will work with interested donors to help underwrite the cost of the annual exhibit.
Last year, a group of interested citizens and neighbors joined the Parks Department to form the Boston Common Lights Project Committee, with the goal of implementing new and innovative measures for the annual holiday tree program in the current era of energy conservation and new technologies. The project was a success, as the committee met its goal of securing a designer to help fabricate new and exciting enhancements to the holiday lighting, including the introduction of LED lights on the official Christmas tree and buildings, and new lighting at the Parkman Bandstand and Frog Pond. Several private donors provided funding to make these enhancements a reality.
The Parks Department lit 70 trees during recent holiday seasons using incandescent lights - approximately 60 trees with white lights and the 10 remaining trees with a subtle combination of red, green and white lights. The city also lights Parkman Bandstand, the Visitors Information Center, and the Deer Park Maintenance Facility on Boylston Street.
The Frog Pond Foundation, operators of the skating facility, lights 11 trees in white lights around the perimeter of the Frog Pond.
Although the city must reduce the scale of its lighting in 2009, the Boston Common Lights Project will strive to continue to make improvements within the display area.
The Boston Common Lights Project Committee is now seeking lighting proposals with creative new ideas to enliven the park during the holiday season using the latest energy saving technology.
The committee will accept proposals for specific targets (i.e., Frog Pond, Parkman Bandstand, Visitors Center, MBTA head-houses, memorials, trees or pathways) or a complete lighting plan. Any comprehensive plan should allow for incremental implementation as budgets allow.
The proposed installations may be permanent and adaptable to different circumstances. For instance, a lighting arrangement could have a central holiday theme while simultaneously adopting colors associated with the Red Sox, Celtics, a theater production, etc.
Proposals should include the following: new detailed lighting design; what will be lit (trees, buildings, pathways, etc.); lighting technology (LED, incandescent, etc.); colors; elements (strings of light, hanging objects, etc.); budget – including budget for each component (include two tier budgets); installation and removal plan (vendors, time-frame, etc.); long range lighting plan; highlight innovative thinking regarding design and budgets; and designers’ contact information, including designers’ name(s) company name, addresses (mail and e-mail) and telephone numbers.
A map of Boston Common, including locations of trees and structures, is available by calling 617-961-3025.
All proposals must be received by Friday, June 19, at 5 p.m. for consideration. Proposals won’t be returned to sender. Please e-mail proposals to suzanne.taylor@cityofboston.gov, mail or hand deliver proposals to: Boston Common Lights Project, Boston Parks and Recreation Department,1010 Massachusetts Ave., Third Floor, Boston, MA 02118.
Proposals will be reviewed via committee and winner(s) will be announced on July 15. The committee and Boston Parks and Recreation Department have the right to choose more than one proposal and select components to use for the 2009-2010 lighting. Designs not selected will be saved and considered for future use when fundraising efforts and/or the budget increases.
Designers will be recognized by name in public relations and marketing materials. In addition, designers will also receive an official lighting certificate signed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino and chairpersons and four reserved area tickets to the city’s official lighting celebration. Neither designers nor their firms will be compensated financially.
For more information, call 617-961-3039.