Neighborhood Views
The Poll
Announcements

BAKE SALE & FLEA MARKET FOR ST. FRANCIS HOUSE

The North End Friends of St. Francis House will hold our 6th annual Bake Sale and Flea Market on Friday March 19th and Saturday March 20th at the Nazzaro Community Center at 30 North Bennet St.  The event will go from 8am to 6pm on Friday and 10am to 2pm on Sat.  We will have all kinds of homemade baked goods and wonderful pastries and cookies from all of the bakeries and pastry shops in the neighborhood.   We will also have Mary Romano’s world famous eggplant sandwiches, meatball and sausage sandwiches.

We will also have tons of great flea market items for you to buy.  We will also be collecting spare change.  No amount is too small (or too big).  If you would like to send in a donation, make checks payable to St. Francis House and mail to John Romano 247 Burlington Avenue, Wilmington, Mass. 01887.  All of the proceeds we raise those two days and collect ahead of time will be matched by an anonymous donor, so your donation counts twice as much as you give.  For more information call John Romano at (617) 880-9901 or e-mail at patjr@comcast.net.

…………………………………………………….

ABCD North End/West End Neighborhood Service Center
Participates in the Annual Feinstein $1 Million
Giveaway to Fight Hunger

NOW THROUGH APRIL 30th

Please send monetary donations, gift certificates for food, or non-perishable food items to the: 

ABCD North End/West End Neighborhood Service Center
1 Michelangelo Street
Boston, MA 02113
(off Charter Street - in former Michelangelo School building)
(617) 523-8125
North End ABCD Website

All donations will support our food pantries in the North End and West End that serve the elderly, immigrants, unemployed, families, and anyone in need.  The NE/WE NSC’s tax ID number for your convenience is 04-2304133. Please call the number above with any questions.  Thank you for caring about your neighbors in need!

…………………………………………………….

View the CALENDAR For Events

Follow Us
FacebookTwitter RSS Email 

Subscribe to the weekly
E-Newsletter:

  Email:
 

Send In Your News

We welcome your neighborhood news for posting on the website and distribution in the weekly e-newsletter. We love posting your photos too!
Email your information to: info@northendwaterfront.com

Live Twitterfeed

Tags
Article Archives
Search Site
About This Website

NorthEndWaterfront.com is a neighborhood focused website designed to share local “news and views” about the North End / Waterfront area of Boston, Massachusetts. Articles on the Home page are generally posted by the editor, Matt Conti, unless attributed to another source. This site does not sell advertising or receive compensation. See the About page for more about the site.

This website is published under a Creative Commons License with some rights reserved. You are free to share this work for non-commercial use, but you must attribute it to this site with a link.

Comments & Forum

Comments to articles are encouraged. Use the comments link at the end of each post. You can also post your own news, comments or questions on the Forum page. Please read the Comments and Forum Post Policy.

Go to the Forum ->

North End Photos
From the Newswires
Service Requests

Subscribe to RSS headline updates from:

Local Inspections

Entries in Boston Harbor (33)

Sunday
07Mar2010

Boston Harbor Association Announces 17th Annual Celebration & Auction

From the TBHA’s Harbor News Update:

The Boston Harbor Association (TBHA) will host its 17th annual Boston Harbor Celebration and Harbor Auction on Tuesday 13 April 2010 from 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm in the beautiful Wharf Room at the Boston Harbor Hotel, Rowes Wharf, Boston. Join in an annual tradition for waterfront businesses, community leaders, environmentalists, and public officials, which includes dinner donated by Legal Sea Foods and a silent and live auction featuring many one-of-a-kind items including harbor excursions, weekend getaways, entertainment and sports events.

Proceeds from the event will support TBHA’s advocacy efforts to increase public amenities along Boston’s HarborWalk, and the development of a sustainable, Green Working Port. TBHA has successfully worked to activate the waterfront, with new HarborWalk segments opening for the general public to enjoy along the North End, Downtown, and South Boston waterfronts this past year. TBHA has also been a leader in advocating for sustainable development of the waterfront, in promoting a comprehensive, affordable water transportation system in Boston Harbor, and in helping to ensure amenities at Boston Harbor beaches and islands.

Tuesday
23Feb2010

First Yemenese LNG Tanker Arrives in Boston Harbor

Waterfront residents received a 5:00 am wakeup call this morning. Between the helicopter noise, flashing lights and sirens, folks knew that “it” had arrived. The first 395-foot long liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker from Yemen was here.

Initially a dot on the harbor grew quickly to dominate the waterway as the ship made its way past the North End/Waterfront area to dock at the Everett terminal. The boat will stay for about 2 days before departing. About 2-3 Yemenese LNG tankers will arrive per month for the next 20 years.

Watch the following NECN video:

Saturday
20Feb2010

Globe Columnist Takes In The LNG Tanker Experience

The Globe’s Brian McGrory keeps the conversation going on LNG tankers in Boston Harbor as he goes out and see’s for himself.

“Soon enough, the ship’s name, the SCF Polar, was visible, as well as human-sized letters across the ship’s bridge that warned, “No smoking.’’ I wondered if anyone on the crew spoke English. By then, the Polar was right in front of us, so close it felt like you could touch it or smell tobacco on the captain’s breath. Hopefully, the ship’s structure was better than its cosmetics; the thing was begging for a fresh coat of paint.”

“This kind of proximity lent itself to new perspective. I could picture a guy with a rocket launcher in any one of the hundreds of condos or offices on the ship’s path causing a fireball that, despite what Distrigas assures us, would roll from Faneuil Hall to Framingham. And please, spare the details of the ship’s double hull.”

“We hassle old ladies who have shampoo in their carry-on bags at Logan Airport. We bar parking all around the Hancock tower. We strip people of their belts going into government buildings. And we allow a massive ship with liquefied natural gas from a nation like Yemen to sail down fairway-width waterways into some of the most densely populated parts of our region. Terrific.”

Read the full article at Boston.com.

Tuesday
16Feb2010

True Waterfront Living

The Boston Globe reports on the increasing trend to live on Boston Harbor during the winter season … meaning directly ON the water in a moored boat. On the Boston side, the article mentions the boaters that live at Lewis Wharf Marina and Waterboat Marina at Long Wharf. There are also groups in Charlestown, the Navy Yard and East Boston. Inexpensive living is the primary appeal (less than $300/month), and according to the article, internet access has made the lifestyle more appealing to baby-boomers. (Not to mention unobstructed water views!)

“The ranks of the self-proclaimed live-aboards include everyone from wealthy business owners in well-appointed yachts to students living in cramped, drafty boats that no longer move.  No matter their station, they share the pros and cons of living on the water through winter: They endure the storms that shake their berths, the constant maintenance boats require, and ice-covered docks that have left more than a few with stories of plunging into the harbor. But they insist there are perks aplenty.” Read the full article.

Below is a video from Boston.com showing the live-aboard life.

Monday
15Feb2010

Group Sues For Testing of "Dirty Water"

A lawsuit was filed against the Boston Water & Sewer Commission for failing to test for pollutants in Boston Harbor and numerous rivers in the city, as reported by Universal Hub.

“The Conservation Law Foundation formally accused the city of failing to stop high levels of bacteria, oil and dissolved metals and chemicals pour into Boston Harbor through its 201 “outfall” pipes that collect road runoff from nearly 20,000 catch basins … The foundation also said the commission knows about illegal connections to the system yet has done nothing about them.”

Read the post including lawsuit documents.

Friday
05Feb2010

Counter Arguing LNG Tankers Sailing Through Boston Harbor

Adam Balsam makes a case in favor of LNG tankers on his blog:
http://adambalsam.com/lng-tankers-boston-harbor

"In order to ignite the LNG, it would have to be broken free from the multiple tanks which hold it on the ship, released and mixed with air (at a specific ratio - about 1 part NG to 9 parts air) and then be ignited. I have never seen a credible scientific paper published that proves this is even possible much less probable.
Furthermore, Lieutenant Erik Halvorson of the US Coastguard (the branch of our Military responsible for and entrusted with guarding us from such attacks) released the following statement:
"we established a level of security to ensure the ship remains safe"
Are Mayor Menino and Councilor LaMattina then implying that we can't trust the US Coast Guard? If so, we have a much bigger problem. Personally, I think there is a problem with Menino and LaMattina."

My view:
Ouch. I believe the residents and politicians fully understand the risk of ignition is small, even minor. But if there were no risk, the Coast Guard would not be taking such extreme safety measures.

MIT Professor, LNG expert and former chair of MassPort, James Fay, explains the risk in the same MSNBC article cited by Balsam, citing the USS Cole terrorist attack in 2000.  “There’s no doubt that with a big enough bomb you can blow a hole in the side of the vessel and the cargo will burn,” Fay said. “It’s well understood that for the big fires we’re talking about that distances like half a mile or so, you can get second-degree burns to exposed skin in about 30 seconds.” There also was a severe tragedy in Cleveland in 1944 when a damaged LNG tank leaked, creating a vapor cloud in the streets and sewers before igniting and killed 128 people.

Beyond public safety in such a densely populated area, there are also a significant quality-of-life issues for the surrounding North End/Charlestown/East Boston neighborhoods. When an LNG tanker comes through the harbor, public access in the harbor and on the waterfront is harshly impeded. Further, the LNG tankers hurt our property values and are inconsistent with the area's tourist attractions. The LNG tankers negatively impact the public and recreational use of the harbor and waterfront which needs to be "secured" for extended periods every time an LNG tanker comes in and out.

Recently, the City helped arrange for most of the hazardous material trucks from going through downtown and the North End/Waterfront neighborhood. Instead, most were re-routed around the City. Those inside were directed away from the residential streets (and actually, the haz-mat trucks should even be moved off Atlantic Ave/Cross Street over to Congress Street, but that's another issue).

Just as with the haz-mat trucks, there are much preferable options including off-shore unloading and a reduction in the number of deliveries.  The U.S. also has plenty of its own natural gas, so importing it from foreign countries is not necessary.

In no other U.S. city are these gigantic LNG tankers allowed near such a densely populated area. Neither should they be in Boston.

Related posts:
Coast Guard to Allow Yemen LNG Tankers through Boston Harbor

Tuesday
02Feb2010

Coast Guard to Allow Yemen LNG Tankers into Boston Harbor

Despite objections from City and State officials, the U.S. Coast Guard announced their decision today to allow liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers from Yemen to travel through Boston Harbor to the Everett terminal. The shipments from Yemen became a concern after the Christmas Day attempt to destroy a U.S. flight going to Detroit. The incident was tied to al-Qaida activity in Yemen, where terrorist cells are believe to exist.

The Associated Press reports:

About 30 shipments from Yemen to Boston are expected annually during a 20-year contract with the company. Critics of the deliveries have raised the specter of a massive fireball engulfing waterfront neighborhoods if one of the tankers were successfully detonated as it passed by.

Once the ship arrives, it will be required to stop in an area about five to seven miles offshore while the Coast Guard ensures it has maintained proper security. Coast Guard officials will also board the ship to conduct their own inspection and could do underwater searches of the ship's hull.

According to the Coast Guard, "LNG tankers are extremely safe and there has never been a major incident onboard a tanker since they started shipping the potentially explosive cargo 50 years ago."

View the WBZ-TV video report at their website.

Sunday
31Jan2010

Schopfer Pitches Floating City in Boston Harbor

Banker & Tradesman interviews Kevin Schopfer, founding partner of architectural firm, Ahearn | Schopfer and Assoc., about his recent pitch for a floating city in Boston Harbor, called "Boa."

"Schopfer founded a company to market condos on Mars. He designs $100 million-plus yachts. His design for the new International UFO Museum is crowned with a cosmic wormhole. And he recently pitched multi-billion-dollar floating city designs for Boston and New Orleans. Boston’s would dock alongside Long Wharf, and contain housing and office space for 15,000 people."

With the Chiofaro Company at a near standstill for nearby Harbor Garage, Schopfer defends the timing of his proposal, "With everybody talking about the renewal and revitalization of Boston, it’s a good time to project this to Boston. A floating city is very feasible. What we need to do is approach them as demonstration cities."

Read the Banker & Tradesman interview.

Saturday
30Jan2010

Icy Boston Harbor

 

Sunday
10Jan2010

Councilor LaMattina on the Issues - Part II

Inauguration: Mayor Menino Administers the Oath of Office to Boston's City Council on January 4, 2010 at Faneuil Hall (Photo courtesy of Councilor LaMattina's Office)This is the second in a series of articles from an interview with District 1 City Councilor Salvatore LaMattina following his recent inauguration. Councilor LaMattina is beginning his second full term representing the North End/Waterfront neighborhood as well as East Boston, Charlestown and parts of Beacon Hill & Downtown. (Click here to read Part 1 of this series.)

Late-night Revelry, Closing Hours, Live Entertainment

Last Fall, a front page Boston Globe article, "Culture Clash in the North End," brought several longstanding issues to the forefront regarding the changing nature of neighborhood, the increase in late-night activity and general congestion. More recently, there has been a debate regarding the use of live entertainment at North End restaurants.

Working with the Emerson & Suffolk colleges, the Problem Properties Task Force and Boston Police, LaMattina believes an improvement has been made in addressing situations where students have recurring late-night parties. LaMattina believes that property owners should be held accountable and the task force has been addressing properties that rent to college students.

On the business-side, Councilor LaMattina presented a mixed view by saying, "We are fortunate to have a thriving business community, especially compared to other areas of the City. It's the best Little Italy in the country. Every tourist that comes to Boston goes through the North End." But, "I don't want to see the North End become like Union Street, lined with bars and a place for late-night partying. The North End restaurants bring a different clientele."

"It upsets me to see the divide between residents and businesses and it hurts the neighborhood. We have to find a way to work out the problems." He believes much of the answer to resident concerns is to address individual problems with certain businesses. But overall, he sees the benefit to having a strong business community. He noted that at a "Livable City" hearing hosting by Councilor Connolly in Charlestown, residents there wanted to attract more business activity. Similarly, East Boston used to have a more restaurants.

LaMattina said he generally does not support licenses with 2am closing times, prefering something like 1am on weekends and earlier during the week. "Whatever is there now should stay, but I don't see new 2am licenses in the neighborhood."

LaMattina does not object to moderate, live entertainment up until 11pm such as proposed by Lucia's, Dolce Vita and currently in place at Fiore with a piano player. "We can work with licensing to arrange for windows to be closed and other conditions. I believe it should be looked at on a case-by-case basis."

On the phone after the Inauguration (Photo courtesy of Councilor LaMattina's Office)Neighborhood Schools

Although the Eliot School has added new classes in the North End, it is bursting at capacity. "I am a big supporter of neighborhood schools.

Families are staying in the neighborhood rather than moving out and we need to find a location for another downtown public school," according to LaMattina who has talked to the Mayor about the subject.

"This is a priority for my second term."  The Councilor said he was open-minded about a new school being part of the Government Center Garage Redevelopment project.

Development

Government Center Garage Redevelopment - Councilor LaMattina believes the space where the garage is now sitting could be used to improve the community. "It's an ugly building and we have an opportunity to work with a developer. I tell my appointees on the Impact Advisory Groups to have an open mind. I want to see a nice development there."

Harbor Garage - LaMattina does not like the excessive height of Chiofaro's proposal, but would like to get a working group together toward a new development. He referenced a project on Pier 1 in East Boston which has yet to be built, but where a group came to an agreement after 7 years of debate.

Cross Street Sidewalk - Boston Transportation Department has reviewed the site (Officials Meet for Cross St. Sidewalk Walkthrough) and is expected to have a plan this Spring. "The current situation is not what anyone envisioned. It's dangerous. I was almost hit twice walking there." LaMattina added that residential parking is fine at night, but we should also look elsewhere for parking so as to create a more pedestrian friendly situation on what has become the front porch of the North End.

City Council

Knowing the ropes, the Councilor is looking forward to working with the City Council during his second term. He believes he can help the new councilors Felix Arroyo and Ayanna Pressley. Though, he always brought the conversation back to the the neighborhoods. LaMattina is expected to once again Chair the Neighborhood Services Committee. He is concerned that the City budget will be worse next year and pressure will build to cut services.

During his first term, Councilor LaMattina has requested and testified at multiple hearings to bring certain subjects to the forefront, on issues such as the trash and rat situation, motorcycle noise and Segways. He has encouraged changes in the Department of Public Works and believes they have improved their services, especially in areas such as street barrel pickups in the North End.

As previously mentioned in Part 1 of this series, LaMattina has developed a close working relationship with City Councilor President Mike Ross who represents Back Bay and Beacon Hill. They chair the Problem Properties Task Force tackling quality of life issues in Boston's neighborhoods. With the recent election of State Representative (and North End resident) Aaron Michlewitz, the Councilor looks forward to working on North End issues such as potential infrastructure improvements on Hanover Street.

More on the Hanover Street initiative, the role of neighborhood groups, taxes, the Greenway, LNG tankers and technology in upcoming parts of this series.

Click here to read Part 1 of this series.

Friday
01Jan2010

NY Times' Travel Section Highlights North End/Waterfront

The New York Times published an extensive travel article on the North End/Waterfront area, "In Boston, Change is in the Air" with particular focus on "Boston's New Waterfront" and attractions in the North End. There is also a photo gallery on its web site:
Click here to view the slide show.

"Men at North End Cafe" (Click image to see the slide show at NY Times website.)

An excerpt from the January 1, 2010 article, "In Boston, Where Change Is in the Winter Air":

"You could go to one of the traditional Italian standbys, but why not try something new? Like Neptune Oyster, with its raw bar and Paris bistro feel. Or vegan Italian, at Grezzo. Or you could eat French food, at the Michelin three-star chef Guy Martin’s new Sensing restaurant, which happens to be at the Fairmont Battery Wharf."

"The next morning you get up early. You could go to a charming cafe in the North End for coffee and breakfast. But why go anywhere when there in your room is a silvery Nespresso coffee maker, and a stash of coffee capsules? You can make a perfect cup of coffee and admire the harbor views out your window."

"There is so much going on — the Coast Guard installation on the next wharf; the ferries carrying commuters to the financial district from the nearby Charlestown neighborhood; the water taxis, tugs and tankers — that pretty soon you’re going to want to get outside and join the action. And learn about the history of the waterfront: Battery Wharf, for example. It is near where Paul Revere set off by rowboat in 1776 to Charlestown, where he borrowed the horse for his famous ride."

Friday
01Jan2010

Midnight Fireworks on Boston Harbor

Crowds came over to the watefront to ring in 2010 with fireworks at midnight on Boston Harbor as part of the First Night celebrations. Here are some video highlights:


Via hitenjava on YouTube

Thursday
24Dec2009

Only The Fish Are Happy at the Aquarium

This tweet came across today at 4:30 pm from the Fire Department regarding a water main break at the New England Aquarium at Central Wharf. (Via Universal Hub)

Monday
21Dec2009

Yacht Haven Gets a Premium Bid for $9.9 Million

Banker & Tradesman is reporting that Yacht Haven, the marina property near Commercial Wharf, has attracted a premium price and is under agreement for $9.9 million. The buyer is Charles Lagasse, a Newburyport developer, through a company called Boston Boat Basin, LLC which is also associated with Steve Karp's New England Development.

Yacht Haven is attached to Commercial WharfThe price has raised some eyebrows after a failed bankruptcy auction last August where most bidders dropped out around $5 million. Yovette Mumford, former sister-in-law of Congressman Ed Markey, bought Yacht Haven for $11.7 million in 2005 and attempted to expand the property, which ran afoul of the deed at Commercial Wharf. In bankruptcy, the property fell into the bank's hand, Northern Bank & Trust.

According to the B&T article, the condo board at Commercial Wharf is concerned the deal may try to invalidate the deed's restrictions.

"The condo association's land court suit restricted the marina's parking and barred Mumford from operating the business as a restaurant, bar or function hall. The bank has also asked the bankruptcy court to bar the state's land court from maintaining jurisdiction over deed restriction disputes. That, the condo association's brief argues, would amount to an end-run around the site's deed restrictions, making it much more valuable."

Read the full B&T article.

Sunday
20Dec2009

Snow!

Snowy & Windy Commercial St.Brave souls at Fleet & Commercial Streets

Snowy Wharves on Boston Harbor

 

 

Universal Hub has an "up to the minute" twitter feed going on the latest snow information around town.

Virgin snow in North End on Twitpic  


Sledding in the City (Photo by M. Piscitelli)

Salem St. at nightfall after the snow