September 2011 Free

WWW.FeNWAYNeWS.org

serving the Fenway, Kenmore square, upper BacK Bay, prudential, longwood area & mission hill since 1974 volume 37, numBer 9 septemBer 3-29 , 2011
photo: Mike Mennonno

Irene Wallops the Park and Parked Cars

photo: steve Chase photo: steve wolf

Trees bore the brunt of Hurricane Irenes sweep through town on August 28, with several falling in the Fens, including a willow (left) on the Boylston path in the Victory Gardens, and another clocking a car parked on Jersey Street. DCR crews arrived in the gardens the next morning to clear debris.

abbey group aims high (18 stories, community center) at 1282 Boylston
hen the Abbey Group unveiled plans for inclusion of a community center in a mixed-use building it hopes to build on the former McDonalds site at 1282 Boylston street, the enthusiastic responsea mixture of joy and disbeliefconfirmed that a year-long community dialogue with Abbey had borne fruit. After years of frustrated advocacy by Fenway residents, Abbey has stepped up to offer prime ground-floor space, attached to a caf, exclusively for the use of Fenway residentsspace that would otherwise produce revenue for Abbey, which will own and
iMage: brUner Cott, proviDeD by the abbey groUp

By Joyce Foster

housing on site, a somewhat more costly way of meeting the citys inclusionary zoning requirement than contributing to the citys housing fund. on-site affordability adds to the neighborhoods of office space on floors 2-4 , first-floor retail CoMMents DUe septeMber 6 economic diversity, which took a hit in April space, and underground parking for 295 cars. Send comments on the proposal with the withdrawal of protections for 173 this will be the third Fenway project for Abfor 1282 Boylstonincluding apartments in the east Fens owned by First bey, after development of the Landmark cenyour thoughts on the community ter in the old sears building and the Landmark realty Management. the project will include centerto John M. FitzGerald, Boston planted roofs and other measures that Abbey square apartments on Peterborough street. Redevelopment Authority, One City on other issues, the project received both believes will qualify it for LeeD silver, Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201, 617a widely used measure of environmental roses and brickbats at the meetings held on 918-4267. Or e-mail your comments to friendliness for new construction. August 2 and 24. roses included praise for a john.fitzgerald.bra@cityofboston.gov. on the brickbat side, Abbey seeks commitment to provide 10 per cent affordable zoning relief from the height restriction that applies to the site now (one of the buildings two towers will rise to 178 feet, 28 feet above the zoning limit). residents voiced concerns about the shadows that would cast on the north side of Boylston in winter and on the Fens in late afternoon throughout the By Jon BALL and in 2008 obtained a $956,000 mortgage on address. Haney did not return a phone call for year. the new building will extend from the property. But according to tenant sarah clarification by this reporter. As of press time, Jersey street to the Baseball tavern, with enants at one of the last singlea new drive running off Boylston designed Wenig, We sure didnt see $900 thousand of The Fenway News was unable to find any room-occupancy (sro) buildings to discourage drivers from using the alley repairs. Instead, in December 2009, nuestra other affordable housing developed by MPc. in Boston are organizing against behind the building to exit onto Jersey street. sold the 15-unit property to the Massachusetts At the time of the purchase, MPc also what they perceive as a threat Abutters from Peterborough street pressed Preservation corporation (MPc), which entered into a two-year agreement with to affordability at their 277 Marlborough Abbey aggressively at the meeting on the 24th obtained a $1,350,000 mortgage to finance the nuestra and the citys Department of neighstreet residence. citing a questionable real to block all access to the alley or install a gate transaction. so one day, borhood Development, the stated purpose of estate deal and the to limit it. we found a flier under our which was to ensure occupancy by Low Incurrent owners other concerns were the speed with doors, telling us the new come Households. there has apparently been apparent violation owner was Massachusetts no mechanism in place to monitor compliance which the entire project is proceeding. there of an affordablewill be no more opportunities for community Preservation corporation, since MPc purchased the property, although housing agreement, input after the comment period closes on which nobody had the agreement required MPc to report reguthey have formed september 6. ever heard of, Wenig larly to nuestra, which would enforce the the Marlborough Copies of the Project Notification continued. requirements. Although the agreement expires street tenants According to filings this December, at least two units have already Formthe developers report on visual, trafAssociation (MstA) fic, and environmental impactare available with the state, MPc been advertised on craigslist and rented at and enlisted support at the Boston Public Library; the offices of the incorporated only two market rates, and Haneys brother, Will, is from city councilor Fenway community Development corporamonths prior to the now a resident. It appears that nuestra has Michael ross. tion (now at 70 Burbank street); or on request transaction, claiming as taken no steps to force MPc to comply with 277 from the project manager, John Fitzgerald, at its purpose to expand the low-income restriction it signed. Marlborough was 617-918-4267. It can also be downloaded from affordable housing several tenants acknowledged the help one of several the BrA website at http://bit.ly/nsa2g1 opportunities for lowross has given them, including his referring properties acquired Joyce Foster lives in the East Fens income or very-lowthem to city LifeVida Urbana (cL-VU), by Boston Aging income personsand which organizes people threatened with concerns in the people with disabilities. displacement. In a June 23 letter to Haney, mid-1970s to house Tom Tidlund (left) and Patrick OMalley MPC officers include the tenant association, working with cL-VU seniors then being on the steps of their endangered Matthew Haney, as organizer Dominic Desiata, requested a displaced by the residence, 277 Marlborough Street. president and treasurer, meeting to discuss the future of the building, Back Bays initial and directors robert emmeluth and robert and to request extension of the agreement. wave of gentrification. In 2004, the group Henner, all of whom list home addresses as But according to Desiata, Haney declined by then known as Boston Aging concerns66 charles street, suite 215apparently a to meet, instead calling tenants individually young and old United, or BAc-yoUwas mailbox room at the rear of the charles street and telling them there would be no change in floundering financially and merged with the their status. But Desiata says there is more to nonprofit Nuestra Communidad Development Market. According to a member of the legal prelim. election staff at the Massachusetts Attorney Generals consider than just the current tenants. even corporation, which took over the properties. DoUble Dealing on page 2 > Nuestra itself soon ran into fiscal troubles office, state statutes require a residential city council/DiSt. 7

manage the property. At the first of two community meetings in August, Bill Keravuori, Abbeys senior vice president, made it clear that Abbey did not propose to program the space, which might hold meetings, classes, and performances. that job, he said, would fall to the community, and residents will need to come together to talk about the best way to determine the events and services that might be housed in the new center. Keravuori emphasized that the space would function as a resource for the whole community, not a facility for one organization. Informal conversations have already begun in the neighborhood about a community-wide vision of services and programs that would engage a wide range of Fenway residents, and assuming the project receives BrA approval, possibly this fall, that effort will certainly move into high gear. those approvals will follow a public comment period that closes on september 6 (see box). the new project will rise along Boylston with 210 residential units, 99,000 square feet

An artists view shows the Abbey Groups proposal for the former McDonalds site at 1282 Boylston.

Did Nonprofits Officers Break the Lawand Line Own Pocketsby Renting Affordable Units at Market Rates?

September 27

Vote

2 | FENWAY NEWS | SEptEmbEr 2011

Rain Doesnt Stop 29th National Night Out

By MAttI KnIVA sPencer

photo: Matti kniva spenCer

on tuesday, August 2, residents of the West Fens celebrated national night out (nno) for the 29th time. sponsored by Wingate Management and operation P.e.A.c.e., and held at the seventh-Day Adventist church, the event allowed residents to take over a section of the city to make it safe for everyone...which is the theme of nno. Food, drinks and ice cream were generously provided by Bradley Liquors, and local businesses and restaurants provided gift certificates that were raffled off as prizes, all proceeds going to operation P.e.A.c.e., an organization in the West Fens that provides free after-school care for kids, as well as free
DoUble Dealing on page 2 >

computer and esL classes. the event, planned by this writer, working with Peterborough Housing and operation P.e.A.c.e. staff, allowed the community to come together as one. Various organizations staffed informational tables, and a D.J. provided music. there were face painting and a moonwalk for kids. shaws contriubuted a huge cake and West Fens Patrol Officer Joe Nagle presented long-time community activist Dennis eardmann with an award for the outstanding work hes done throughout the years. rains came sooner than expected, but those who came early had time to really enjoy a great event. Among the notables in

City Councilor Mike Ross joined Fenway residents for National Night Out, August 2. attendance were state rep. Byron rushing and city councilor Mike ross. Despite the heavy rains, people stayed and continued to celebrate...and when the ice cream truck she continued that early on, MPc was helpful when she requested repairs, but that stopped soon, and now MPc is trying to evict me, claiming I am chronically late paying rent, which is not true. I have a hearing september 16, and I hope people can come to support me. We really need community support, and even a pro bono attorney to step forward and help us keep this place affordable. evelyn Friedman, who heads DnD, arrived to provide free ice cream to everyone, it was like the sun had begun to shine again. Matti Kniva Spencer lives in the West Fens. stated August 30 that DnD is in the process of having enforcement rights for the agreement transferred from nuestra to DnD, but that this could take several weeks. she also said that there is a waiting list of eligible tenants, but she would not comment about whether the agreement, slated to expire in December, might be renewed or revised. Long-time Fenway News investigative reporter Jon Ball, lives in Jamaica Plain.

ill Hartman, 65, an 11-year resident losing five affordable units in a place like of the building, recalls, I was Back Bay would be a great loss. a navy medical corpsman 1964 In an August 22 letter to Haney and to 1968, and eventually became MPcs legal representatives, ross cited two units being offered on craigslist and shown to homeless. eventually I lived at a homeless veterans shelter, and I was working at the potential tenants, which if true, would be in violation of the affordability restriction. ross shelter in 2000 when a counselor there hooked me up with BAc-yoU. When I got here, it states he has contacted DnD regarding the apparent violations of the agreement, and that was for seniors, only 20% could be under he had contacted the attorney generals office 55 years old. We all helped each other. A as well. He later added, this individual held Jamaican guy really ran the house, and after himself out to neighbors as a housing provider he passed on, another resident, Paul Gleason for battered women and veterans. But instead did, until he moved, too. It was shared living, so we had potluck Fridays, [and] shared tV they are flipping it to luxury housing. In my and stereo downstairs. 12 years in city council, I have never before But when Nuestra first took over, they brought a matter to the Attorney Generals office. And I think Nuestra should look at this put mental cases here. none of them ever worked out. one woman kept asking us for one carefully, too. money to eat. A girl was selling drugs and the day after ross sent his letter, approximately a dozen tenants met with ross people would knock on the door at 3 a.m. and Mayor thomas Meninos housing advisor Another guy walked around the house naked and the women would be afraid to leave their sheila Dillon. ross announced that since rooms. so their management company, Winn, MPc had violated an affordable housing had to stop that after awhile. agreement it signed as a condition of still, this place was a godsend. I work purchase, this raises a legitimate issue of concessions at Fenway Park, and I plan whether there was malfeasance to obtain on working next year for Fenways 100th the benefits of a tax-free sale. I have reached anniversary, but how much longer I will to the Attorney Generals office regarding physically be able to do that work? Id need to possible civil and criminal violations, make more money if I lost this place. Being and have requested that DnD enforce the here allows me to eat out once in awhile, and agreement. And when Desiata asked if go visit my two sons, live like a human being. we could extend the agreement, ross I dont have any problem with Matt Haney. He suggested that perhaps we could press the fixes things right away, and told us we have Massachusetts Preservation corporation nothing to worry about. Hes decent to me to restart the two-year clock, since the personally. But for homeless people, its so agreement has never been followed. intimidating, and hopelessness can get to you. sarah Wenig commented that there might have been wrongdoing on both sides of I hope it stays affordable to give everyone a the sale. nuestra took the mortgage out while chance. A girl who just moved in pays $1,295 for her room, twice what older tenants pay. evelyn Friedman, now DnD director, was tom tidlund, a three-year resident, its executive director. they cant claim they and like Hartman a veteran, moved in after didnt know what was going on when they sold to a sham nonprofit. David Price, current 28 years at 435 Beacon street. Im used to living in the Back Bay, and Ive lived here nuestra executive director, did not return even before that. I even remember 1963, several calls from The Fenway News. Dillon compared this situation to another right before I went into the army, there was that train yard at Boylston. When I got back affordable property at 186 Marlborough street. nuestra/BAc-yoU wanted to sell that in 1967, they had the Prudential center built there. Anyhow, I had never heard of this one too, but because the city had put some affordability agreement. Haney called us of its own money into the building, it could enforce deed restrictions, and nuestra sold to individually, but weve tried to set up a group caritas, a known affordable housing provider. meeting with him. I dont personally have any caritas also wanted to buy 277 Marlborough, problem with Mass Preservation, but I hope it stays affordable for everyone. but the city said it would then enforce a deed Wenig later stated that she has a long restriction (which would have depressed the selling price), and nuestra then sold to MPc. history with 277 Marlboro, including working However, both she and ross mentioned that if for BAC when it first bought the building. Decades later, she became a resident. I advocatMPc should attempt to develop the property ed for repairs while nuestra owned the propin the future, MPc would need city approval erty and got identified as a problem tenant. to change its current sro licensing.

On August 26 at about 10:45pm, officers responded to a radio call about a stabbing at the 7-eleven on Jersey street in the east Fens. the was uncooperative and was yelling from the ambulance. He described his assailant and was taken to Brigham and Womens Hospital for treatment for three stab wounds. Officers spoke with several bystanders who gave much information. Driving on the Fenway behind the MFA, two other officers observed a person who matched the description of the assailant, which had been broadcast. When stopped, he appeared to be out of breath, and lied multiple times in response to questions about his name, age, and where he was coming from. A witness approached the suspect and told the officers thats him, thats the guy I was chasing. He also stated thats the guy who stabbed my friend. At this time officers had to separate the witness from the suspect, who was transported to District 4 for booking.

suspect caught after stabbing at 7-eleven

moving-day robbery

On August 28 at approximately 10:35am two officers responded to a call at 133 Peterborough st., where they spoke with a man being treated by eMs personnel for a possible broken nose. He stated that while moving out of their apartment, he and his girlfriend had seen a man they did not recognize in the vestibule of their building.Although they declined his offer of help, while they were outside, the suspect went to their apartment, which was unlocked, and stole a computer. the victim found the suspect in the apartment and chased him to the basement, where they struggled. the victim was punched and elbowed in the face, causing his injury. The suspect then fled the building but left his rain jacket, which the officers took. The victim was transported to Beth Israel Hospital.

ELECT ALTHEA GARRISON, THE OUTSIDER District 7 Boston City Council PRELIMINARY ELECTION TO BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 27, and FINAL ON NOVEMBER 5, 2011
Our priorities in District 7 will be to address and resolve the following issues: PrEVEnTinG CriME EDUCATiOn JOBs AnD JOB CrEATiOn sTOPPinG FOrEClOsUrEs rEAl AFFOrDABlE hOUsinG

ThE BOTTOM linE is AlThEA is ABOUT hElPinG PEOPlE AnD FAMiliEs! AltheA GArrison, the outsider, is ready to fight for District 7 priorities. AlThEA GArrisOn, The Outsider, for District 7 Boston City Council.
Call your family and friends and ask them to give Althea Garrison a vote on september 27 and on november 5, 2011, Final Election.

VOTE

DOnT bE fOOlED by THE cORRUpT InSIDERS!!

Contact Althea Garrison at PO Box 191395, roxbury, MA 02119 or 617-407-7661

Thanks, very much for your help and support.

As the new academic year begins, we remind our students:

Smart Students Make Great Neighbors

Meet your neighbors Keep it clean, keep it quiet Get involved in your community!
For information or to report concerns, email NUPLEDGE@neu.edu or call 617-373-8265

FENWAY NEWS | SEptEmbEr 2011 | 3

photos: Matti kniva spenCer

good times roll at Fcdcs social

By MAttI KnIVA sPencer

rising Groundwater Levels suggest repairs Are Working

long Hemenway street, readings from the wells used to monitor groundwater levels in the Fenway were below four feet on the end near the MFA and above five feet toward Boylston street in July. those levels do not reflect the rains from Hurricane Irene, which would have temporary effect. Groundwater levels below five feet are worrisome for nearby buildings. Although the Hemenway street area has seen low readings for years, we have seen levels rise across the east Fens in the last year. this is probably due to work to repair storm sewers on a nearby alley recently. Most of the progress in raising groundwater levels results from the work of the city-state Groundwater Working Group,

Matti Kniva Spencer lives in the West Fens.

The Fenway Community Development Corporation (FCDC) threwafestivebarbecuenearthe Kelleher Rose Garden in the West Fens on August 17. The event honored long-timemembersandstaffers and marked the departure of Callie Watkins, who is entering a doctoral program at Brandeis University, where she will study social policy. The event felt like a celebratory barbecuedown South,withburgersgrilling,people bringinghome-madedishes,andkids and adults out to have a good time. Manypassersbyweredrawntothe event, stayed to enjoy themselves... and joined the CDC in the process. The Fenway Street Shredders, a local group,beltedoutsomeseriousblues music for all to enjoy. Kudoseveryonewhocontributed time and donated food and drinks for the event. Special thanks to Tracey Hunt and Kris Anderson, the main organizers,whowereabletodrawso many of the community together to participate in a night of fun, laughter, and camaraderie.

By GALen GILBert

the engineers from major state and local infrastructure agencies that meet quarterly and go over the maps of well readings recorded by the Boston Groundwater trust. After reviewing the readings, the working group discusses low spots, tries to relate them to underground facilities, and propose repairs in some instances. thus, the Boston Water and sewer commission is working in the Back Bay on Dartmouth street near Beacon, injecting dye into the ground to see if it turns up in storm sewers buried deep underground. the Massachusetts turnpike Authority is presently cleaning out a drain pipe beneath the Prudential Center for the first time since the complex was built in the 1960s. the Massachusetts Water resources Authority has fixed deep storm pipes in East Boston,

and groundwater levels have risen markedly there. the MBtA has hired an engineering firm that has attended several meeting with the Groundwater trust to come up with a plan to raise groundwater levels around Back Bay station, where groundwater tends to leak from housing blocks to the much lower railroad right of way. Millions of dollars have been spent on repairs through this process. the web-based map at www. bostongroundwater.org/ will soon be readable by tablet computers, and it will use Google Maps to improve usefulness to users who have trouble with the existing map function. the website contains public comment letters, including one for the Abbey Group building proposed for 1282 Boylston street. the website includes the ever-popular academic papers on groundwater, and a new link the

ABCD Youth Program Helps Mission Hills Byrd Fly Higher

orn and raised in Mission Hill, twenty-year-old Bessie Byrd is no stranger to drugs and violence. raised by her grandmother in low-income housing, Byrd witnessed gang shootings and watched drug addicts getting high on the roof of her building. Growing up around this, Byrd says, made me realize I want better for my future. When councilor Felix G. Arroyo recently visited ABcD Parker Hill/Fenway, as part of his state of the youth tour, Byrd was there to speak up about youth violence and how to keep Mission Hill kids out of trouble. Byrd kept herself out of trouble by participating in ABcDs summerWorks program, which places over 100 youth in jobs with community organizations. she has worked for ABcD since she was 14. I joined because I knew they could help me with a job, Byrd says. ABcD did more than keep her busy; it helped her prepare for college. After her freshmen year, Byrd would
photo CoUrtesy of bessie byrD

By steVen s. KAPIcA

have been unable to return to school because and help young people balance the demands of an unpaid balance on her tuition bill. of work and school. this would create more However, summerWorks helped her secure opportunities and open avenues out of the a scholarship gang and drug violence that to cover the persists in poor neighborhoods. deficit. Byrd is Providing better assistance now a junior at through summer job and benefit Virginia state programs is about improving University. both peoples situations and their At the communities. Like many of those Parker Hill/ who spoke with Arroyo, Byrd felt a Fenway strong connection to the councilor meeting, because of his own upbringing. Arroyo spoke He came from the same type of about the issues neighborhood I grew up in, Byrd that concern says. He was very determined young people to make a change so fewer people in Boston. will grow up in poverty like we A leading Bessie Byrd credits ABCDs did. advocate for SummerWorks program with helping this determination to make youth summer her stay in college. changes, Byrd insists, is also about job funding, changing peoples perceptions. too Arroyo much policy is written without ununderstands that job opportunities help derstanding what its like to grow up in poveryoung people find focus and keep busy; job ty. Arroyos determination to get Boston youth programs also help alleviate community involved is a step in the right direction. When anxiety about youth violence. Byrd is a prime asked what she would do if she were mayor for example of how programs like summerWorks a day, Byrd told Arroyo she would work toward can make a difference. ABcD has been a changing rules and regulations to establish great help to me, Byrd says, providing jobs equality based on individual needs. I would every year and helping me finish school. I feel look more at peoples situations, Byrd says, like its the best program around. rather than make generalizations about what Byrd sees violence as the main issue people can and cant pay for. Her own situaaffecting young people in her community. tion shows how such generalizations can have However, she believes systemic change is dire consequences. Without ABcDs help, she needed. she sees a need for more assistance likely would have had to drop out of college. for underprivileged students, such as health Byrd plans to finish her undergraduate care and food stamp benefits: I believe degree in family and consumer science; that as long as youre in school, whether she then hopes to pursue interior design in its college or high school, we should still graduate school. I plan to own my own qualify for free insurance. the rules for clothing line one day, says Byrd. Whatever food benefits also should be adjusted because she does, Byrd will always maintain a strong college students have to work 20 hours a connections to her home and her community: week in order to get food stamps. some I do plan on giving back to Boston people dont receive meal plans, Byrd claims, communities so people in poverty can go on and arent able to work 20 hours a week. to college and never give up their dreams. offering adequate health care and better Steven S. Kapica lives near Kenmore access to subsistence would alleviate pressure Square.

4 | FENWAY NEWS | SEptEmbEr 2011

Serving the Fenway, Kenmore Square, Audubon Circle, upper Back Bay, lower Roxbury, Prudential, Mission Hill, and Longwood since 1974

he Fenway News will be asking for your help in the next few months. We are finding that we cant support our expenses solely with ad sales and the occasional fundraiser, so we will be setting up a support system similar to that used by The Nation magazine. We will ask our supporters to pledge some amount on an annual basis, with a sliding scale of donations. We have pretty much always skated on the edge of financial catastrophe since we started in 1974, aiming to support the neighborhood in its struggle against cityimposed urban renewal. one of my mottoes is other newspapers exist to sell ads; we sell ads to exist. We have usually managed to get by, but the economic downturn of the past four years has made it much harder for neighborhood businesses and institutions to help us out. so now we are turning to our readers. A professional fundraiser who is also a long-time reader has volunteered his services to help us set up the pledge system and coach us on approaching potential donors. the target audience for

Our Future in Your Hands

from the editor

this part of the drive will be people who can pledge $50 a month over a year; once we have identified that small group of donors, well approach other people who might be able to offer more modest donations, which is when you will be hearing from us again. The Fenway News has always been a mostly volunteer operation; only the editor, the distributors, and the bookkeeper get any remuneration for their efforts. Were always looking for new writers, artists, proofreaders, Web producers, ad sellers (who get a commission), and other contributors. If youre interested in helping the paper out in that way, send us a note at editor@ fenwaynews.org. And if you have any ideas about how we can make the paper more financially stable, send them along as well. Finally, consider making a pledge or donation when that time comes. thank you for your continued support.

Steve Chase Helen Cox Tracey Cusick Joyce Foster, president Steven Harnish Barbara Brooks Simons Steve Wolf, treasurer editor: Stephen Brophy weB teaM: Nicole Aubourg, stephen

Fenway newS aSSociation Board oF directorS

nailing down every detail, trio pushes for Fenway dog park
espite the difficulties of moving day and the lure of a yankees game, on August 31 about two dozen people attended an informational meeting to discuss a proposal for a dog park in the Fenway. the meeting was hosted by Fenway residents Leda tabaie, Matthew Lesiczka and Jay Domen, founders and board members of Fenway Dog Park, Inc. Although many dogs live in the Fenway, theres currently no enclosed area in the neighborhood where dogs can exercise off leash. Fenway Dog Park has a proposal to change that: under its plan, an underutilized area of parkland behind clemente Field would become a 14,500-square-foot fenced-in dog park. this proposal is the result of a lot of hard work. About a year and a half ago, tabaie started a petition to create a dog park in the Fenway. Proud companion of Gili, a rescued black Lab/shar-pei mix, tabaie was circulating the petition when she met Matt

By trAcey cUsIcK

and his yellow Lab charley. Jay and his great Dane Abby also became involved, and together they incorporated Fenway Dog Park. they researched Boston-area dog parks and consulted experts in park design. After identifying a location, they obtained a topographical study of the proposed site from the northeastern University school of engineering. Having procured estimates for the cost of buying and installing 500 square feet of vinyl chain-link fencing, 130 yards of playground mulch, and sea stones, they can confidently explain that it would cost no more than $30,000 to turn the proposal into a reality. theyve applied for IRS nonprofit status, which they anticipate receiving in the near future, so they can begin raising funds. Fenway Dog Park has also developed a plan for maintenance. standard dog park rules that dog owners clean up after their

dogs will be in effect. As in the nearby Victory Gardens, those using the dog park would be asked to participate in clean up and maintenance days. Funds would be set aside for maintenance costs. theres even a proposal to deal with goose poop; geese would not be able to comfortably land in the park because of overhanging trees, and the sound of pie plates on a string discourages geese from hanging around. community members offered comments and questions, and board members stressed that this is a proposal; they are seeking community input and support, and that they anticipate holding another informational meeting soon, probably in october. to learn more about the proposal, go to the Fenway Dog Park website at www.fenwaydogpark.org. Tracey Cusick lives in the East Fens.

Jon Ball, Alison Barnet, Liz Burg, Bob Case, Helen Cox, Tracey Cusick, Dharmena Downey, Lisa Fay, Lori A. Frankian, Joyce Foster, Marie Fukuda, Galen Gilbert, Elizabeth Gillis, Katherine Greenough, Steven Kapica, Sam Harnish, Sarah Horsley, Rosie Kamal, Shirley Kressel, Maura McGowan, Letta Neely, Richard Pendleton, Camille Platt, Karla Rideout, Mike Ross, Barbara Brooks Simons, Matti Kniva Spencer, Anne M. Tobin, Steve Tolman, Fredericka Veikley, Chris Viveiros, Margaret Witham PhotograPherS: Aaron Barrera, Steve Chase, Lois Johnston, Mike Mennonno, Patrick OConnor, Valarie Seabrook, Matti Kniva Spencer, Ginny Such, Steve Wolf caLendar: Penina Adelman, Helen Cox, Ruth Khowais, Steve Wolf, ProoFreader: Tracey Cusick Cathy Jacobowitz BooKKeePer: Cathy Jacobowitz diStriBution: Della Gelzer, Aqilla Manna, Lauren Dewey Platt, Reggie Wynn
The Fenway News is published monthly by the Fenway News Association, Inc., a communityowned corporation dedicated to community journalism. If you would like to volunteer to write, edit, photograph, lay out, distribute, or sell advertising on commission, please contact us at: SuBScriPtion coordinator:

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negotiations to lease a large property on Hemenway Street; namely, 115 Gainesborough Street, 116, 118, 120 to tHe eDItor: Hemenway Street, and 74 Symphony I saw with interest in the August 2011 Road. issue of your newspaper a letter referring to It is rumored that you are in support previous issues in which there was coverage of this further incursion of Northeastern of farmers markets. I regret to say that I do into the Fenway neighborhood. Please not see The Fenway News on a regular basis, define your position on this issue. so am unable to comment on those articles. As you I do, however, manage are well the Farmers Market in Brigham circle and am happy aware, this is to say that we do accept snAP/eBt cards and a 60,000-square-foot apartment building also participate in the citys Boston Bounty known as Animal House for the long Bucks program. clearly we need to update history of misbehavior by its residents. our website (www.mhhm.org) to include this This has been a problem building in the information! Boston Bounty Bucks provides a Fenway neighborhood for years. The match of up to $10 for any snAP shopper; for fact that it is available for sale provides total purchases of over $20, we still provide the city and the neighborhood with a the $10 match (so on a total bill of $25, only unique opportunity to expand and replace $15 is charged to the snAP account and $10 affordable housing. The loss of the

mission hill Farmers market welcomes snap cards, Bounty Bucks

LETTERS

Burbank Apartments is extreme and can be eased by political efforts to prevent university expansion from gaining control of this building. The use must be reserved for affordable housing. It should also be noted that the university is being required to reduce lease agreements in the East Fenway. Please explain the status of the lease agreements in the East Fenway. You must be aware of legal action against the university regarding the lease of the Forsyth Building for an unexplained use. This challenge to the university regards the safeguards following the cyanide incident associated with the university. I am a direct abutter to the Forsyth and demand protections against this threat.

Comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.

The founders of The Fenway News adopted this motto to express their mission of exposing and opposing the dangers the neighborhood faced in the early 1970sincluding rampant arson, unscrupulous landlords, and a destructive urban renewal plan. If the original motto no longer fits todays Fenway, we continue to honor its spirit of identifying problems and making our neighborhood a better and safer place to live.
> Frequency <

The Fenway News reaches the stands every 4-5 weeks, usually on the first or last Friday of the month. Our next issue will be appear on Friday, September 30. The deadline for letters, news items, and ads is Friday, September 23. Contact our business manager at ads@fenwaynews.org
> aDvertising < > DeaDline <

rIcHArD orAreo tHe FenWAy

comes from the Bounty Bucks program.) the Bounty Bucks program is managed citywide by the Food Project, and more information about the program can be found on their websitehtt p://thefoodproject.org/ bbb or by calling their office (617-442-1322). For more information about the Brigham circle Farmers Marketheld every thursday from 11 am until 6 pm, through the end of october!call 617-427-6919.

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Wentworth will undergo a comprehensive evaluation visit October 23-26, 2011, by a team representing the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. In preparation for the visit, we invite the public to submit comments about the Institute. To learn more about the public comment period and to get contact information for sharing your comments, please visit: http://www.wit.edu/neasc2011/comments.html

Block nu lease and turn animal house into affordable housing

The following letter was addressed to City Councilor Mike Ross.
MIKe:

I am shocked and dismayed to learn that Northeastern University is in

FENWAY NEWS | SEptEmbEr 2011 | 5

cities Beg as tax dollars rain down on Businesses

moving overso this tax break is being given to cover Fallons transition-period rent. fter Fidelity and evergreen solar Most important, Patrick and Menino cut jobs despite huge state job creation subsidies, and the city of teamed up to offer Fallon $50 million dollars via an as-yet-untested and little-understood Boston got slammed in its loan to the soon-to-be bankrupt W Hotel, youd think type of subsidy: the state Infrastructure that corporations sniffing at the public trough Investment Incentive (I-cubed) program. I-cubed was would be sent packing. Meninos 2006 But no, its business as usualand legislative worse! the latest boondoggle involves Big initiative for Pharma, a big developer, and a new kind shifting more of subsidy that plays games with taxpayer of the costs of money. development Vertex Pharmaceuticals, with facilities subsidies to the scattered around cambridge, just got a new state. Under drug approved and decided to consolidate and expand. the Boston waterfront offers the I-cubed, the state most suitable location for its needs, so Vertex issues bonds that pay for project infrastructure. to pay off that decided to move its entire operation, with its loan, the state commits the future income tax current workforce of 1,240 employees, into two Fan Pier buildings. the buildings will be revenues from new project employees, as well as project-related state sales taxes. constructed by Joe Fallon, mega-developer so instead of those taxes going to the and friend of Mayor thomas Menino. Fallons waterfront developments have all general fund for schools, roads, libraries, been subsidized with huge tax breaks, and he etc., they go to paying off a developers loan. However, if the project fails to generate hit an even bigger jackpot here. enough state tax revenues to pay back the Governor Deval Patrick, lesson loan, I-cubed requires the city to provide apparently not learned from experience the money. the city can demand that the with Mass Life sciences centers poor jobcreation record, forked over a $10 million Life developer keep a two-year reserve fund, and after that an assessment can be placed on sciences tax credit. the property for reimbursement; but if the Based on the Boston redevelopment project fails, the developer is unlikely to pony Authoritys declaration that the project up the money, and a lien is not a timely or area, which the Globe calls a luxurious dependable recovery mechanism. new neighborhood, is officially blighted, In the end, the state can hold the city Menino granted the project a $12 million responsible by withholding local aid to cover property tax waiver. As revealed at the the debt. projects city council hearing on May However, here, in the first I-Cubed 20, Vertex didnt want to pay rent on both project to be implemented, Menino and cambridge and Boston leases while it was Patrick have colluded to shift the funding risk from the taxpayers of Boston to the taxpayers of Massachusetts. Heres how and why: Vertex officials testified that they plan to hire only 200 workers when they move to
By sHIrLey KresseL

$99 million in subsidies going to a developer and his marquee tenant could pay for a lot of schools, roads, and libraries

Boston; they said they anticipate 300 more hires over the following several years. the city expressed confidence that these new workers income taxes and project-related state sales taxes will amply cover its I-cubed oblications, about $3.3 million a year, totaling $99 million over the 30-year loan period. But obviously, officials see a substantial risk that this revenue wont be enough, because the plan is to also tap into state income taxes generated by Vertexs existing 1,240 employees. this is a problem because I-cubed cannot legally be applied to existing jobs. the point of I-cubed is to create jobs that produce new, not existing, income tax revenues to pay off the bonds. only if there is compelling evidence that a company like Vertex would leave the state without the subsidy, thenand only thencan the city and state consider existing jobs as retained jobs whose taxes may be used for bond service. It seems applicants need only shop around to get offers from other states; and sure enough, at the city council hearing, a representative from the Municipal research Bureau briefly mentioned that Rhode Island had courted Vertex. However, Vertex executives, at the same hearing, testified that the Boston site is uniquely ideal, with ample space for an expansion campus near workforce sources, synergistic life-science clusters, excellent transportation options, and lifestyle amenities for employeesculture, restaurants, and retail. Fallon testified similarly, pointing out the public investments, like the Big Dig, that made this site so desirable for Vertex. city

councilor Mike ross said, Where else can you get over a million square feet in an urban setting? thats whats attractive. think about it: would high-tech Vertex leave the brain bank of the world to go to rhode Island? of course not, just as JPMorgan chase, which got a $4 million subsidy, wouldnt really have moved to Braintree as threatened, and Liberty Mutual, which got a $46.5 million subsidy, wouldnt really have moved to some hamlet in new Hampshire as threatened. A quick Google search would have informed our officialsif they really wanted to knowthat rhode Islands biotech labor force, the top criterion, is woefully deficient for Vertexs needs. nonetheless, we can be sure that our officials will find compelling evidence that Vertex would have moved to rhode Island if they did not get this I-cubed assistance from taxpayers. It wont be the first time the governor cooked the books to boost a corporate subsidy. Patrick, Menino and city council are subverting the law to give these corporations over $120 million for no reasonother than to claim false credit for job creation. slashing services for both state and city taxpayers is apparently their idea of shared sacrifice. Shirley Kressel lives in the Back Bay. A version of this essay first appeared in The South End News.

Fri, Sep 2 Sat, Sep 3 Sun, Sep 4 Tue, Sep 13 Wed, Sep 14 Thu, Sep 15 Fri, Sep 16 Sat., Sep 17 Sun, Sep 18 Mon., Sep 19 Tues., Sep 20 Wed., Sep 21

7:10 p.m. 7:10 p.m. 1:35pm 7:10 p.m. 1:35 p.m. 7:10 p.m. 7:10 p.m. 7:10 p.m. 1:35 p.m. 7:10 p.m. 7:10 p.m. 7:10 p.m.

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corn continues to show up at the market, and well see diminishing volumes of stone fruits like plums and peaches as september progressese. apples have begun pouring in, and gourds and pumpkins will join them this month.

Farmers Markets
thursday 11:00 a.m.6:00 p.m. brighaM CirCle thursday 11:00 a.m.6:00 p.m. JaMaiCa plain: bank of america parking lot, Centre street wednesday 12:00 p.m.5:00 p.m. saturday 12:00 p.m.3:00 p.m. soUth enD: 540 harrison avenue (at sowa arts market) sunday 10:00 a.m.4:00 p.m.

west fens: outside 7 haviland street (former fenway health) 9/28 (last weds. of the month) 3:00 p.m.7:00 p.m. Copley sqUare tuesday & Friday 11:00 a.m.6:00 p.m. prUDential Center: 800 boylston, across from walgreens

street Cleaning tiMes

the city cleans Fenway residential streets between 12 and 4 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month (odd-numbered side) and the second and fourth wednesdays (evennumbered sides). get more info at 617-635-4900 or www.cityofboston. gov/publicworks/sweeping. the state cleans streets that border the Fens on this schedule: seConD thUrsDay the riverway, 8:00 a.m.12:00 p.m.
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6 | FENWAY NEWS | SEptEmbEr 2011

ajdulari has blessed the stages of ryles, the regatta Bar and scullersamong other placesas the lead vocalist of many world, jazz, and funk groups. she has performed with award-winning, highly renowned bands such as David Zoffer Differential; Guy Mendilow & the Mendilusion Wine; and Zili Musik (an eight-piece, all-female, world music band). In addition to being a former Fenway resident, she attended the new england conservatorys Jazz continuing education Program and Berklee college of Music. Barnes recently moved to new york city and currently performs with her own band, rajdulari, and was recently the winner of the new england Urban Music Awards Best Jazz Band 2011. twice this month, rajdulari will return Boston to grace us with her magic: september 8 at the Milky Way and september 24 at the Beantown Jazz Festival. you dont want to miss her, because her voice alone fulfills Maslows Hierarchy of essential needs. Keep reading to hear the story this tenyear veteran of new englands music scene has to share: I was born in Baltimore, raised in Kalamazoo. I was there up until 12. My mother was a choir director, so ever since I was little we always had some sort of music in my house. As I got older I wanted to try to pursue it but I thought, oh I cant really pursue this because its not something you do as a regular job; its something that you do on the side and so I avoided it for a long time. I realizedwhen I was around 23 or 24 I looked up and I was working three jobs; I was also doing two or three bands. It used to be that music was this hobby and then before I knew it, I was deciding whether to go into nursing or whether to go to school to be a musician. And I realized after struggling for a while over this... I looked up and realized that all the time I had spent, all the jobs that I did, everything that I did was so that I could keep doing music. I would work jobs to pay my rent but I would not take night positions because I wanted to make sure that I could do my gigs. I realized that in that moment that music was something that I couldnt do without. In 2004, my mother was diagnosed with bone cancer. she went through chemo and all these different treatments until she went into remission. After watching her go through that, I promised myself that I would not live my life unfulfilled. I promised myself that I would try my best to do the most that I could do with whatever I was given. I knew that music was a huge part of that. so I decided to try to pursue it actively. he musical landscape in Boston is a great hotbed of creativity. In Boston, you can stick with a project. you can examine it. you can work on it. you can get a job that supports a musician. you can get a few day jobs that keep you comfortable. you can live a little bit more of a comfortable life in Boston than you can in new york. It lends a little bit to more creative time but new york gives you this hotbed of activity. so if Boston is a great incubator of music, then new york is a great breeding ground or a great cultivator. Its a good place to harvest. Boston is good place to prepare yourself and to invest in yourself in the music, to create your foundation. But when you are ready to harvest you come to new york to really act out what it is youve been practicing. new york provides real world experience for that of a musician. I call it musician boot camp because it is the one place that you can really come and cut your teeth in an industry that is not forgiving. But if you can survive here, then you can do whatever you want to do. Ive been blessed to perform to with several different musicians in the area. Ive been playing with enrico Detrizio (keys) and Giancarlo Detrizio (drums) and sam Jc Lee (bass). theyre really great guys. I have learned so much from these guys. I met them actually at Berklee and they moved to ny and we stayed in contact. Im grateful the Berklee network is so strong because you are able to connect with so many musicians that way and able to keep music going no matter what. At New England Conservatory, David Zoffer gave me my first break. I went to audition for him as a singer for his continuing ed Jazz Program and he ended up asking me to be the lead singer in his band. I sang with him through almost 10 years. And hes always been really great with me, back when I didnt know anything. He would walk me through learning jazz changes. At Berklee, Armstead christian and Donna Mcelroy are two vocal teachers who go beyond just being teachers they actually develop mentoring relationships with their students. And also Joey Blake, one of the greatest improvisational vocalists I know. these are some of the Berklee Faculty members that I look up to and admire. I performed years ago at the salem Jazz festival in a duet with Laurie Goldsmith as my guitarist. However, the 2011 Beantown Jazz festival is my first major jazz festival. I think its perfect timing that my first jazz festival is in Boston. Even though I live in New York now, Boston is still very much my home. so it is great to be coming back with my band and my music, to share and to tell people what weve been doing and present it to them. Im really excited about that. I feel like it is going to be a really special afternoon. My new album is called HoneyWine. Honey wine is my favorite wine. Its from ethiopia. Its sweet and strong and it has this heady aroma. When you drink it It kind of sneaks up on you because its sweet. you think this is an easy wine. Its a desert wine and before you know it, its gotten you. youre a little tipsier than you thought! I want the album to do that to people. I want people to feel that Im giving them a gift from my heart. something thats sweet and strong and heady but that at the end of the day.. that what Im saying in the album about love, what Im saying about America, what Im saying where I come from, about purpose, presence and empowering people and being inspiredAt the end of the day all of those things will stick with you a little bit longer than you thought they would when you first put the cd in. So I think HoneyWine is appropriate. Its my first venture and I think it will stick around for a while. Letta Neely lives in the East Fenway.

photo CoUrtesy of bessie byrD

star-studded Jazzfest takes over south end streets september 24

ens of thousands of music lovers will jam the Fenway and the south end this month for the mostly free-of-charge 11th annual Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival. the festival, september 23-25, wraps up Berklees 2011 summer in the city series, which produced more than 80 free outdoor concerts across the city, including swingin in Mothers rest in the Fens. Last years festival drew more than 70,000 music lovers. A stellar jazz collaboration of James Farm featuring Joshua redman opens the festival sept. 23, and the new Gary Burton Quartet closes the festivities on the 25th. Although most events take place on the streets of the southend, these two shows will be at the Berklee Performance center (BPc) and require tickets. For the new Gary Burton Quartet, tickets are available at the BPC box office or at www.ticketmaster.com; James Farm tickets are on sale at www.worldmusic.org. on saturday the 24th, Bostons biggest block party takes over a multi-block stretch
toNIAN er boS St Improp 010 be

of columbus Avenue that begins at Mass Ave. the program, running from noon to 6:00 p.m., will feature 15 artists performing on three stages; family activities at Berklee Family Park; and booths serving foods from all over the world. Berklee Family Park will transform carter Playground on columbus Avenue into a hub of activity, including inflatables, face painting, and an instrument petting zoo staffed by Berklee professionals. top acts on the outdoor stages will include radjulari (see article at left), the legendary oleta Adams, rafael Zaldivar, Pablo Ablanedo, Louis Hayes, Marcus santos & Bloco AfroBrazil, among others. Berklee students and faculty will feature prominently, with performances from the acclaimed Berklee Global Jazz Institute ensemble, Berklee teachers and students, and a spate of recent grads, including Jeff ramsey, Darcel Wilson, shea rose, the Berklee P-Funk ensemble, and professor Bill Banfield and the Jazz Urbane project. Visit www.beantownjazz.org to see the full concert schedule.

2009 &

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photo: ken howarD/Metropolitan opera

Rajdulari: The Vocalist Speaks

By LettA neeLy

queens, devils, gods, and gandhiall coming to a movie theater near you
By BArBArA BrooKs sIMons

he Metropolitan Operas famous gold curtain will soon rise again on Regal Fenway 13 movie screens. Tickets for the 201112 season of HD (highdefinition)simulcastswent on sale late last month. The sixthseasonoflivebroadcastsfrom SaturdaymatineesbeginsonOctober 15 with Anna Bolena, Donizettis opera aboutHenryVIIIsill-fatedsecond queen. Theseasonsotherbroadcasts includethefinaltwooperasin Wagners Ring cycle: Siegfried on November5,andGtterdmmerung on February11,2012.Otherbroadcasts this fall are Mozarts Don Giovanni, Oct. 29; Philip Glasss Satyagraha on Nov. 19; Handels Rodelinda on Dec. 3; and Gounods Faust on Dec. 10. The lineup in 2012 is The Enchanted Island, anewBaroquepastiche,Jan21;Verdia Ernani,Feb.25;MassenetsManon, April7;andVerdisLa Traviata, April 14. Tickets for Fenway often sell out, thoughsomeareavailableontheday ofperformance;ticketsmayalsobe availableforencorerebroadcasts. The line-up for the Mets 201112 live Other local theatres showing Met broadcastsareinBurlington,Dedham, movie theater broadcasts includes Richard Croft as Gandhi in Satyagraha, Framingham, and Revere. More on November 19 at 12:55 p.m. The information is at www.metopera.org. Barbara Brooks Simons lives in the performance repeates as a rebroadcast on Wednesday, December 7, at 6:30 p.m. East Fenway

FENWAY NEWS | SEptEmbEr 2011 | 7

Pedals to the People: Hubway Systems Debuts Citywide

he Fenway did pretty well under the new Hubway bike-sharing system. Four of the systems docking stations sit in the West Fens, one in Kenmore square, and another dozen circle the neighborhood in a lazy arc that starts in the LMA and loops through lower roxbury, the northeastern campus, the christian science center, the Pru and the Back Bay. that puts more than a quarter of the 61 stations in the Boston system launched in late July with 600 bikeswithin a 10-minute
front raCk
BUNGEE SECURES PURSE, kNaPSaCk, SHOPPING BaGS, OR OtHER tREaSURES

By steVe WoLF

walk of the neighborhood. All stations are located in downtown neighborhoods plus Brighton and roxbury, but the city plans to expand the network, adding more bikes next year and ultimately linking to bike-sharing systems in Brookline, cambridge, and somerville. Montreal-based Bixi won the contract to run Hubway, which functions just like systems the firm operates in London, Toronto, and Melbourne, among other cities. For the user, the system is simple: Using a credit card at any station, you buy what Hubway calls a

Control panel
PUNCH IN CODE OR WaVE kEYFOB tO RELEaSE/DOCk BIkE

DoCking station
HUBWaY HaS tWEakED SOmE StatION LOCatIONS SINCE ItS jULY LaUNCH. maNY SIt IN ON-StREEt PaRkING SPaCES (WItH CItY Ok).

casual 24- or 72-hour membership (noncasual annual memberships are available for $85 and come with a key fob that makes picking up a bike faster; note that the website was still advertising a discounted annual membership of $60 when we went to press). you can download a smart-phone app to check on station locations and availability of bikes at each one. once you pay for your membership, you can pedal off on any bike from that station and return it to any other station, and you can borrow a bike as often as you want during the course of your membership. geeky or ChiC? The first 30 ODD DESIGN BUILDS minutes you BRaND RECOGNItION, REDUCES LIkELIHOOD have a bike are OF tHEFt free, but keep it longer and charges mount quickly; with an eye toward promoting quick turnqUiCk-aDJUst seat over, the fee hits $100 by the end of the how Cool are these sixth hour. the bUilt-in tail lights? idea is to keep the bikes in circulation as

a serious addition to the citys transportation infrastructure. When you check out a bike, the station kioskpowered by solar panels and hooked up to a wireless citywide networkissues you a five-digit password (you can print it out or just view it on screen). Punch the code into a panel next to the bike you want, and the dock releases that bike. Heres where those annual-membership keyfobs come inthey let you skip this part of the process and go right to the dock to unlock a bike. to return the bike, reverse the process: slide the bike into any station, punch in the code, and wait for the LeD indicators on the docking panel to change from green to red. one shortcoming: you cant rent a helmet with your bike. Although all stations include maps of nearby stores that sell them, in Hubways first month, the vast majority of riders appeared to be going without. West Fens resident Steve Wolf never rides without a helmet.

hUbway in the fenway

BrooklineAvenueinfrontofBest Buy at the Landmark Center BrooklineAvenueatOverland Street YawkeyWayatBoylstonStreet, across from Tasty Burger NorthsideofBoylstonStreetjust west of Mass Ave

meet red sox Foundation head meg vaillancourt

very resident of the Fenway, east and West is aware of the red sox as one of our neighbors, some feel for the better, others for the worse. The Fenway News recently interviewed Meg Vaillancourt, senior vice president of the red sox organization and executive director of the red sox Foundation. she gave us a behind-the-scenes picture of the wide range of activities red sox players, wives and fans participate in when not playing baseball. the sox website describes the foundation as committed to using the power of red sox nation to create new and strengthened community partnerships that will improve the lives of children and adults across new england. the Foundations efforts are primarily focused on improving health, educational and recreational opportunities, as well as social service programs in urban neighborhoods. Vaillancourt told The Fenway News that when the John Henry and Larry Lucchino took over, they agreed with the commonwealths attorney general to fund the foundation to the tune of $10 million over 20 years. Well, we surpassed that already, and will probably more than double it. Uniting a Nation, a booklet published by the foundation states that the foundation, the teams official charity, donated nearly $3.8 million to nonprofits in our community, reaching a total of more than $38 million since the Foundation was established in 2002. In recognition of the impact of its innovative programs, the red sox Foundation was nationally honored and awarded Best team charity in sports by the robert Wood Johnson Foundation and sports Philanthropy Project.
photo CoUrtesy of the reD sox foUnDation

By Anne M. toBIn

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the foundation works with community to Harvard University, and then went on to partners to provide services to veterans oxford for her PhD in philosophy. returning from our current wars and suffering After england, she returned to the from post-traumatic stress syndrome and United states but did not want to be an other non-visible injuries. It sponsors the red sox scholars program, which not only provides scholarships to inner-city students but also keeps track of their grades and school performance and occasionally intervenes on their behalf. the foundation provides funding, computers, and other supplies to after-school programs at roxburys Dimock center. And finally, quoting again from Uniting a Nation, the recreation cornerstone Program: red sox rBI/ rookie League introduces children under the age of 12 to the basics of baseball, while reviving Baseball in Inner cities Red Sox Foundation Executive Director Meg Vaillancourt (rBI) uses the sport to promote healthy choices and valuable life skills including conflict academic. realizing, with the help of a resolution, resistance to drugs and alcohol, mentor, that she was a good performer and and educational achievement among at-risk story teller, she decided to pursue journalism, teens. 2,100+ children and teens have been and came to Boston, where she was offered a served through the rBI youth and red sox position on channel 2 with a program called rookie Leagues. Women In training. she worked there for 10 years with christopher Lydon, among eg Vaillancourt came from a others. the cameramen were fabulous; the very challenging background. teamwork was collaborative she remembers. Her father deserted the family From there she moved to The Boston early in her life, and even before Globe, where for nine years she covered the her mother died of cancer, she and her four Patriots quest for a football field at Gillette siblings were placed in an orphanage. When stadium, as well as the renovation of Fenway she was 10, she received a scholarship to a Park. boarding school in Maine where she became Based on their experience of her involved in theater. she received a scholarship journalistic work, the Patriots hired her in
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their department of community affairs. she worked closely with robert Kraft, who was known to say, sports are the new religion to which more and more people are moving. the Patriots required their players to participate in community service, especially activities for kids. I dont really know anything about football, she jokes, but I know Im the only person who ever got traded from the Patriots to the red sox. John Henry and Larry Lucchino deserve a lot of credit for the red sox Foundation, she asserts. The first week I was on the job, Larry came and asked me about growing up in the Webster House orphanage. He said, I have this idea: In each new england state, we can adopt an orphanage, brings kids here to our games, but also go to the orphanage with plans for finding homes for these kids. Vaillancourt remembers that when John Henry visited Webster House, he said to the kids, I came here because we know you can become someonesomeone who grew up here is now a vice president of the red sox, and if you set your mind to it, you can also succeed. I hadnt wanted to make this all about me, because it was Johns show, so I hadnt said anything about it. the kids were amazed; I talked with them for quite a while, answering their questions about what the place was like in olden days. In the hour we spent in Vaillancourts office we talked about many things that cant fit into the limited space available to this article. the impressive charitable work done by the red sox wives, whose group works closely with the foundation; the use of Fenway Park on non-game days for things like swearing-in ceremonies for new citizens; the fact that the red sox were the second major league team to make an anti-bullying It Gets Better video for the trevor Project, with the participation not only of team members but of people at all levels of the organization. While we may complain about the noise and traffic congestion resulting from Red Sox games, its clear that the current occupants of Fenway Park take the qualities of good

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This symbol indicates a free event. For even more listings, visit www.fenwaynews.org

Cirque du Soleil brings Quiddam to BUs Agganis Arena. Tickets start at $35, through Ticketmaster and the box office (617-353-4628). Wed-Sat at 7:30pm; Fri-Sat at 3:30; Sun at 1:00 and 5:00. www.bu.edu/ agganis/index.html
fri, sep 9: Terry Brooks, legendary author of the Legends of Shannara series, appears at the Boston Public Library to kick off its fall author talks. Other authors this month include Siman Van Booy (Sep 8) John Ferling (Sep 12); David Rakoff (Sep 15); Hill Harper (Sep 17); Stacy Schiff (Sep 20); Sebastian Barry (Sep 22); Janet Ruth young (Sep 23); and Daniel yergin (Sep 27). in the Rabb Lecture Hall. FREE

weD-sUn, sep 7-11: Montreals ethereal

Visit www.precinctbar.com or call 617-6239211 for more information, cover charges. River present a free Riverway concert with the Dan Bowden Group performing blues, gospel, and New Orleans-inspired original work. 3pm in Riverway Park at the intersection of the Riverway, Brookline Avenue, and Netherlands Road. Handicapped accessible. For info and rain location call 617-566-9720 or visit www.muddyriver.org. FREE.
sUn, sep 18: The Friends of the Muddy

pick of the month

Perhaps a Piece of Mahlers

sat, sep 10: The Fenway Garden Society holds its annual FensFest in the Victory Gardens, 11am-3pm. Music provided by Berklee students and alums, food, flea market, raffle, facepainting and other activities for children, bocce for their grandparents, and gardening awards. FREE. sUn, sep 11: World premiere of the interfaith

fri, sep 23: James Farm with Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks, Matt Penman, and Eric Harland. Traditional acoustic jazz quartet instrumentation with a progressive attitude and modern sound, Farmers music is described as rhythmically and technically complex while also harmonically rich, melodically satisfying and emotionally compelling. Tickets $42-$37-$30. For tickets and information call 617-876-4275 or buy online at www. worldMusic.org. sat, sep 24: Emmanuel Music performs the Bach B Minor Mass at Emmanuel Church, 15 Newbury St. Pre-concert talk at 7pm with Robin A. Leaver, professor emeritus of sacred music at Westminster Choir College of Rider University and former president of the American Bach Society. Performance begins at 8pm. Tickets $10 (students)-$150.

The New England Conservatory of Music commemorates the centenniel of Gustav Mahlers death throughout the fall semester, starting with a performance of his First Symphony on September 26. The concert will follow a presentation by Mahler maven Gilbert Kaplan, founder of the Mahler-centric Kaplan Foundation and an amateur conductor known for his mastery of the Second Symphony. The program of nearly 20 events will bring such unusual performances as the Adagietto of the Fifth Symphony with improvisational tropes and jazz arrangements of Mahler themes. Meanwhile, the conservatory will lob nearly every performing ensemble in its arsenal at the deceased Austrian, including the NEC Symphony and Chamber Orchestra; the Wind Ensemble; Contemporary Ensemble; and jazz and improvisation performers. The Mahler programming will give student musicians a chance to perform side-by-side with faculty, including jazz pianist and MacArthur genius grant winner Jason Moran. Refreshments at 5:30; conversation at 6p. Reservations requested; please call 617-646-0560. FREE

photo: wikiMeDia CoMMons

oratorio Illuminessence: Prayers for Peace will highlight a free two-hour concert marking the ten-year anniversary of 9/11. At Jordan Hall, hosted by Mayor Menino and New England Conservatory. Commissioned by the Vatican, the oratorio by composer Silvio Amato touches on the commonality of human aspiration and universal spiritual impulses expressed in the prayers of Christianity, Judaism, and islam. 2 pm FREE

sUn, sep 11: MiTHAS will hold a Hindustani-Carnatic Jugalbandi Gala fundraiser at 4pm in MiTs Kresge Auditorium, 48 Mass. Ave. Featured performers include the Gundecha Brothers and the Malladi Brothers. Tickets are $20-$100 but free to MiT students and classical music students with pre-arranged passes. (Classical music teachers, email mithastimes@gmail.com to request preregistered passes for your students.)

Public Library present the thirteenth annual Literary Lights for Children awards ceremony and tea party at 2:00 p.m. Award winners M.T. Anderson, Kate DiCamillo, Gareth Hinds, and Pam Muoz Ryan will be honored for extraordinary contributions to childrens literature. Tickets, available at www.literarylightsforchildren.org, are $40 and up,
tUe-sUn, sep 27-oCt 2: Laurie Anderson

sUn, sep 25: The Associates of the Boston

brings Delusion to the beaufully rehabilitated Paramount Center at 559 Washington St. in the Theater District. Delusion is a powerfully personal meditation on life, longing, identity and memory. Tickets, $25-$89, on sale at www. artsemerson.org or at 617-824-8400.
weD, sep 28: Thomas Whalen talks about his

sat, oCt 1: The Longwood Symphony

book When the Red Sox Ruled: Baseballs First Dynasty, 1912-1918. in the early twentieth century, the Boston Red Sox rode major league baseball like a colossus, capturing four World Series titles in seven seasons. Blessed with legendary players like Babe Ruth, Tris Speaker, Harry Hooper, and Smokey Joe Wood, and a brand new, thoroughly modern stadium, the Red Sox reigned as kings of the Deadball Era. At the Mass. Historical Society, 1154 Boylston St.

Orchestra opens its season with a performance of Stravinskys The Firebird at Jordan Hall. Orchestra members researchers, scientists, and medical caregivers, mostly affiliated with LMA institutionsdesignate a nonprofit organization to receive the proceeds from each concert. This one will aid the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless program. in addition to Stravinsky, the ensemble will perform Beethovens Piano Concerto No, 5 in E-flat Major; Verdis Overture to La forza del destino; and Harbisons Remembering Gatsby. Tickets $10 (students)-$75.

of the Mother Church and member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship, presents a talk, 10 years Later: LOVE is the Victor. 7pm at the First Church of Christ, Scientist, 210 Mass. Ave. Or listen live at www.christianscience.com/ september11. FREE

sUn, sep 11: Marta Greenwood, president

The following events take place at the Peterborough Senior Center, located two blocks from Boylston between 100 and 108 Jersey St. (walk down the alley and look left). For more information, call 617-536-7154.

sep 13: 10amTask Force meeting sep 15: noonHispanic Heritage

The Kings Speech (2010); Sep 26, Julie and Julia (2009)
tUesDays

speCial events
sep 7: 11am-noonShort story discussion; stories by Edith Pearlman sep 8: 10:30amVisit to Franklin Park Zoo.

Persian Blue, plays an 8:30pm set at The Precinct, at 70 Union Square in Somerville.

fri, sep 16: The Fenways own jazz band,

11 a.m: Exercise with Mahmoud 12 noon: DocumentariesSep 6, Jazz sep 21: 11am-noonShort story discussion; Giants of the 20th Century (2007); Sep 13, author TBD Make Em Laugh: The Funny Business of sep 26: Halle Zucker of Boston College will America (2009); Sep 20, Tony Bennet: The talk about memory during the aging process. Music Never Ends (2007); Sep 27, Strange Days on Planet Earth (2005)

Celebration. Bring traditional/regional Latin American food and music for potluck fun.

reCUrring
MonDays

Cost of admission is $12 per person, so be sure to sign up ahead of time.

weDnesDays

11am: FilmsSep 12, Selena (1997); Sep 19,

10noon: Blood pressure check with Joyce 1pm: yoga with Carmen

weD, sep 7 Last day to register to vote in preliminary city elections. For more info, call Boston Fenway liaison for Mayors Office of Neighborhood Services, William Onuoha, holds

Election Dept. at 617-635-3767.

office hours: 3:30-5:30pm yMCA, 316 Huntington Ave. Bring your concerns about city services. No appointment. needed. Fenway CDC Civic Engagement Committee. Mobilizing to preserve affordable housing and finding ways to make our voices heard. 6:30pm. note new location! 70 Burbank St., lower level. Email Sarah at shorsley@fenwaycdc.org or call her at 617-267-4637x19.
thU, sep 8: Ward 5 Democratic Committee meeting; District 2 City Council Candidate sat, sep 10

weD, sep 21

Fenway CDC Family Coalition. Join other families in sharing resources, advocating for family needs, and implementing family projects. Please bring a dish to share. Call one week ahead to request childcare for all children under 13. Email Kris Anderson at kanderson@fenwaycdc.org, or call her at 617-267-4637x29. Audubon Circle Neighborhood Assoc. board meeting, 6:30-8:30pm Harvard Vanguard, 131 Brookline Ave., Annex Bldg., Room 3D. info at 617-262-0657. Turnpike Air Rights CAC working session sponsored by BRA. 6:30pm Site in Back Bay TBD. For site or for info, email Johathan Greeley, project manager at jonathan. greeley.bra@cityofboston.gov or call 617-918-4486.

Forum followed by endorsements. 7pm, First Church, 66 Marlboro St., corner of Berkeley.

Memorial service for Kip Tiernan, founder of Rosies Place and outspoken advocate for the poor. 11am, Old South Church, Copley Square. Fensfest, sponsored by Fenway Garden Society. Music, food, tag sale, raffle, and much more. 11am-3pm in the Victory Gardens across from 11 Park Drive.
tUe, sep 13: Ward 4 Democratic Committee meeting. 6:30pm, South End Branch Library, thU, sep 15

Fenway liaison for Mayors Office of Neighborhood Services, William Onuoha, holds office hours: 3:30-5:30pm yMCA, 316 Huntington Ave. Bring your concerns about city services. No appointment needed. West Fens Community/Police meeting, 5pm, Landmark Center, 401 Park Drive, 2nd fl, police substation (next to security desk).
sat, sep 24: Memorial services for Maja Wiesl, longtime Mission Hill political and community activist. 2pm, Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston St., Copley Square. Mon., sep 26

685 Tremont St.

Rep. Michael Capuanos liaison holds office hours: 1-2pm at Fenway Health, 1340 Boylston. Bring questions and concerns about national issues or legislation. Fundraiser with guest speaker State Treasurer Steve Grossman. Sponsored by Ward 5 Democratic Committee, 7pm at Lir, 903 Boylston St. Suggested donation $50.
sUn, sep 18: Free concert by the Dan Bowden Group sponsored by Friends of the Muddy River. 3pm Riverway Park at intersection of Riverway, Brookline Ave. and Netherlands Road. Handicap accessible. info, rain location, at 617-566-9720 or www.muddyriver.org. tUe, sep 20

Longwood Medical Area Forum. 6:30-8pm. Location TBD. For location or to verify if meeting will be held, email Laura at lfogerty@massco.harvard.edu. Preliminary City Council elections for District 7. 7am-8pm For more info, call Boston Election Dept at 617-635-3767. johanna.sena@cityofboston.gov or call 617-635-4225. Neighborhood invited. Fenway CDC Urban Village Committee meeting at 70 Burbank Street, lower level (note new location!). We monitor development in the Fenway and advocate for the kind of neighborhood we want. Email Sarah at shorsley@fenwaycdc.org or call her at 617-2674637x19.
tUe, sep 27 Symphony Neighborhood Task Force meeting, 6pm For location, email Johanna at

East Fens Community/Police meeting., 6pm Morville House, 100 Norway St.