Mar. 10, 2010: Copley Square construction continues

 

>> TONIGHT ON "GREATER BOSTON",

WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG?

THE MBTA'S SEEMINGLY NEVER

ENDING CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN

COPLEY SQUARE.

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Ask about it at work.

 

GOOD EVENING.

AS ONE WORKER ON THE JOB

RECENTLY TOLD ME, HE'S ALREADY

SEEN FOUR BOSTON MARATHONS GO

BY AND THE PROJECT IS NOT YET

DONE.

UPGRADES TO THE COPLEY AND

ARLINGTON T STATIONS BEGAN

WITH THE NOBLEEST OF

INTENTIONS, TO MAKE THE STOPS

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE.

THAT WAS FIVE YEARS AND 52

MILLION DOLLARS AGO.

AND WHILE THE ARLINGTON

STATION WAS FINISHED LAST

SUMMER, THE COPLEY STATION IS

STILL A MESS, WITH BLOCKED OFF

SIDEWALKS FORCING PEOPLE TO

WALK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE

STREET.

NOW SOME LOCALS ARE SAYING

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

AT THE CORNER OF BOYLSTON AND

DARTMOUTH STREET TO THE

OBLIVION OF DRIVERS AND THE

PERIL OF PEDESTRIANS, THIS IS

WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS.

 

>> I THINK IT'S RIDICULOUS,

YOU KNOW, IT CAUSES US TO WALK

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET.

 

>> THAT'S BECAUSE RENOVATIONS

TO THE COPLEY T STATION HAVE

SPILLED INTO THE STREET.

GOBBLING UP THE SIDEWALK AND

FORCING PEDESTRIANS TO SLINK

ALONG A CHAIN LINK FENCE AS

CARS COME BARRELING FROM

BEHIND.

 

>> THEY DON'T TAKE HEED TO

THAT, SO PEDESTRIANS LIVES ARE

BEING TAKE THEN THE BALANCE.

 

>> AS FAR AS ALMOST GETTING

HIT?

PLENTY IN THE LAST COUPLE

YEARS.

 

>> MAYBE SOMEBODY THAT'S IN A

WHEELCHAIR, IT'S PRETTY

OBSTRUCTIVE.

 

>> THE MBTA IS ADDING AN

ELEVATOR TO THE STATION TO

MAKE IT ANDY CAPPED ACCESSIBLE,

BUT AFTER FOUR YEARS AND $29

MILLION SOME SAY ENOUGH IS

ENOUGH.

IT'S AN EYE SORE AND A HAZARD.

 

>> TIRED OF WAITING AT THE

CORNER TRYING TO DODGE

TRAFFIC.

 

>> IT DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY

WITH LADIES AND BABY

CARRIAGES.

 

>> OTHERS SAY STOP WHINING, IT

NECESSARY AND PART OF CITY

LIVING.

 

>> YOU JUST HAVE TO DEAL

WITNESS.

 

>> IT BOSTON AND WHEN YOU HAVE

TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS IN

BOSTON YOU NEED TO BE CREATIVE

AND YOU NEED TO BE PATIENT.

 

>> BUT PATIENCE IS WATERING

THIN FOR LOCALS WHO SAY THE

RENOVATIONS HAVE DRAGGED ON

WELL PAST THE TARGET END DATE

LAST YEAR.

 

>> MUST BE COSTING MILLIONS

AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

 

>> AND THE PROJECT STILL WON'T

BE COMPLETE UNTIL THE END OF

THIS YEAR.

JOINING ME NOW IS THE MBTA'S

ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER OF

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION, FRANK

DePAOLA, AND MEG MAINZER-COHEN

OF THE BACK BAY ASSOCIATION.

WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU.

 

>> THANK YOU.

 

>> THE QUESTION OF THE DECADE

IS, WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG?

 

>> WELL, AS WAS MENTIONED IN

THE SHORT SEGMENT THERE, THE

WORK HAS RUN INTO SEVERAL

DIFFICULTIES DURING THE

DURATION OF THE JOB.

YOU MENTIONED THE ISSUE OF THE

FOUR MARATHONS, AND I'M HOPING

THE MARCH ATHOB COMING UP THIS

APRIL IS THE LAST MARATHON

THAT THESE WORKERS WILL HAVE

TO SEE IT.

SO WE'VE RESOLVED THE ISSUES

RELATED TO THE CHURCH AND THE

BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, WE'VE

BEEN ABLE TO RESUME WORK ON

THE ELEVATOR SHAFT AND WE'RE

NOW MAKING GOOD PROGRESS ON

GETTING THE ELEVATOR SHAFTS

CONSTRUCTED.

 

>> THEY'RE NOT CONSTRUCT IT

YET?

 

>> WE'RE BUILDING THEM RIGHT

NOW.

THE PLAN IS TO HAVE THE

ELEVATORS OPERATING BY THE END

OF NOVEMBER THIS YEAR.

 

>> REALLY.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PROBLEMS

THAT IT'S CAUSED IN THE AREA,

MEG?

 

>> YOU ARE SO RIGHT IN THAT IT

SEEMS LIKE THERE HAS BEEN

CONSTRUCTION GOING ON ON

BOYLSTON STREET AS LONG AS I

REMEMBER.

 

>> I MOVED IN IN 2006,.

 

>> AT CERTAIN POINTS THERE

HAVE BEEN FIVE SIMULTANEOUS

CONSTRUCTION SITES ON BOYLSTON

STREET AND YOU HAVEN'T BEEN

ABLE TO GET AWAY FROM IT.

AND IT'S IMPACTED PEDESTRIAN,

PEDESTRIANS ARE AVOIDING

BOYLSTON STREET ALTOGETHER.

BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT SURE WHAT

SIDEWALKS GOING TO BE OPEN,

WHERE TO GO, HOW TO NEGOTIATE

ALL OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITES.

BUSINESSES ALONG THE AREAS

THAT HAVE HAD CHAIN LINK

FENCES AROUND THEM, BUSINESS

DROPPED BY 20 TO 25%.

THERE'S A LOT OF PAIN.

FOOT COUNT ARE DOWN, PEOPLE

ARE STRUGGLING WITH MANAGING

IT.

AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN, I

THINK, A LITTLE MORE

ACCEPTABLE IF THERE HAD BEEN A

CLEAR ROLLOUT AND AN

UNDERSTANDING ABOUT TIME LINES

AND WHEN IT WOULD END.

 

>> FRANK, WHEN THIS FIRST

STARTED, YOU COULD WALK BY, I

MEAN IT WAS HORRIBLE, ITS WITH

A GARBAGE DUMP TOO, EVERYBODY

JUST WINGS THEIR STUFF IN

THERE.

AND THAT'S A VERY WIDE SPOT,

LIKE 30 FEET I'M GOING TO SAY,

IT'S WIDE THERE.

 

>> YES.

 

>> WHY DID THEY HAVE TO TAKE

THE ENTIRE STRIP DOWN?

 

>> WELL, WHAT WE'VE HAD TO DO

NOW IS THAT WE'VE DEMOLISHED

THE OLD PRIOR STAIR HEAD HOUSE

THAT WAS NEXT TO THE CHURCH

AND THAT IS BEING COMPLETELY

REBUILT, AND AJAYS TONIGHT

THAT WILL BE THE ELEVATOR

SHAFT. SO THE FOOT PRINT OF

THOSE TWO STRUCTURES AND THEN

AREA TO BRING IN EQUIPMENT TO

WORK ON THOSE STRUCTURES THAT

SAYS TAITS US TAKING THAT

LARGE OF AN AREA.

 

>> INTO THE STREET?

 

>> YES, WE'VE ACTUALLY CLOSED

THAT SIDEWALK ON DARTMOUTH

STREET AND REQUESTED PEOPLE

CROSS TO THE OTHER SIDE.

 

>> IT SOUNDS CRAZY, BUT WAS

THERE ANY CONSIDERATION GIVEN

TO SOME KIND OF OVERHEAD RAMP?

BECAUSE NOBODY IS CROSSING THE

STREET, THEY'RE WALKING RIGHT

DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET.

 

>> I UNDERSTAND THAT, YES.

THE IDEA OF BRINGING IN AN

OVERHEAD STRUCTURE WITH

PEDESTRIANS IN IT WOULD HAVE

BEEN DANGEROUS BECAUSE OF

CRANES LIFTING THE MATERIALS

OVERHEAD TO LOWER THEM DOWN

THE HOLE DURING CONSTRUCTION

WOULD MEAN WEEDING BE PASSING

THIS EQUIPMENT OVER THE HEADS

OF PEDESTRIANS.

 

>> LET ME ASK YOU, MEG, HAS

THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

DONE ANYTHING, HAVE THEY TRIED

TO PRESS FOR ANSWERS FROM THE

CONTRACTORS?

YOU HAVE PEOPLE WORKING FOR

YOU.

THE THINGS THAT GO ON AND ON,

IS THERE ANY RECOURSE?

 

>> WE'VE HAD A LOT OF MEETINGS,

WE ASKED FOR GOOD SIGNAGE.

EARLY ON WE ASKED THAT THE

DIFFERENT PROJECTS BE STAGED

SO THAT ONE WAS COMPLETE

BEFORE THEY OPENED UP ANOTHER

WORK SITE.

WE ASKED FOR DIRECT ACCESS TO

THE TIME LINES AND

INFORMATION.

HOWEVER, ALL OF THOSE TIME

LINES HAVE GONE OUT THE WINDOW,

AS CONSTRUCTION HAS, YOU KNOW,

MONTH HAVE LED INTO YEARS HAVE

LED INTO TWO, THREE, FOUR

YEARS.

WE HAVE DONE OUR BEST TO ASK

FOR SUPPORT, BUT THERE'S JUST

SO MUCH A SIGN OUTSIDE OF A

CHAIN LINK FENCE IS GOING TO

DO.

 

>> ONE OF THE SIGNS IS IN THE

MIDDLE OF THE STREET, SAYS

SOMETHING ABOUT PEDESTRIANS

CROSSING HERE, IT'S LIKE WHAT?

IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH

ANYTHING, JUST A SIGN THAT

JUST GOT DUMPED THERE, AND,

IT'S...

 

>> THERE'S BEEN VERY LITTLE

CONSIDERATION FOR PEDESTRIAN

SAFETY.

 

>> EVERY NOW AND THEN THERE'S

A POLICE OFFICER THERE.

 

>> WE SHOULD HAVE A POLICE

OFFICER THERE ALL THE TIME

WE'RE WORKING.

 

>> WHAT ABOUT THE CONTRACTORS,

THOUGH?

DO YOU FEEL LIKE THEY'RE

WORKING AS FAST?

THERE WERE MONTHS AT A TIME

WHEN THERE WAS NOBODY ON THE

PROJECT.

 

>> THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE

ISSUES WE HAD WITH THE

FOUNDATION OF THE OLD SOUTH

CHURCH, WE WERE UNABLE TO WORK

THERE FOR APPROXIMATELY A

YEAR.

IT WAS DECEMBER OF 2008 WHEN

THE DAMAGE TO THE CHURCH

OCCURRED.

AND IT WASN'T UNTIL THIS

SPRING, ACTUALLY THE END OF

LAST YEAR WHEN WE RESOLVED THE

ISSUES AROUND THE CHURCH AND

WERE ABLE TO RESUME WORK.

 

>> WE WERE TOLD TODAY ON THE

TELEPHONE THAT FROM THE PEOPLE

AT THE CHURCH THAT THEY HAVE

TO DO THEIR OWN RENOVATION

PROJECT ONCE THIS IS DONE.

SO I'M PRESUMING THAT ONCE IN

CONSTRUCTION IS GONE, A WHOLE

OTHER CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IS

GOING TO START.

 

>> RIGHT.

THE CHURCH NEEDS TO REPAIR THE

CRACK.

THAT WILL, THEY WILL TAKE A

LITTLE BIT SMALLER AREA THAN

WE'RE CURRENTLY TAKING ON THE

CORNER OF DARTMOUTH AND

BOYLSTON, BECAUSE THE HEAD

HOUSE AND THE NEW ELEVATOR

TOWER WILL BE AVAILABLE TO

PEDESTRIANS.

SO FROM THAT WALL CLOSEST TO

THE CHURCH INTO THE CHURCH

WOULD PROBABLY BE FENCED OFF.

BUT PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO --

 

>> HOW LONG WILL THAT TAKE?

 

>> APPROXIMATELY A YEAR.

THEY HAVE TO ACTUALLY REMOVE

THE MASONRY UN FRITZ THE

EXTERIOR OF THE CHURCH, REPAIR

THE CRACK INSIDE AND THEN

RESTORE THAT MASONRY.

 

>> SO WE'RE TALKING TWO MORE

YEARS OF THIS.

 

>> AND HOW ABOUT THE LIBRARY,

WHEN IS THE LIBRARY GOING TO

BE BACK IN ITS --

 

>> WE'RE WORKING BOTH SIDE AT

THE SAME TIME NOW,

SIMULTANEOUSY.

THE CONTRACTOR HAS TWO CREWS

WORKING, THE LIBRARY AND THE

CHURCH WILL BOTH BE DONE THIS

NOVEMBER.

AND THEN THAT SIDE WILL BE

RESTORED AND OPENED IN THE

SURFACE RESTORED TO

PEDESTRIANS.

 

>> DO THE CHURCH PEOPLE REALLY

NEED TO DO THIS?

 

>> YES.

THE CHURCH ITSELF WAS DAMAGED

AS A RESULT OF THE FOUNDATION

--

 

>> BUT DO THEY NEED TO DO

THIS?

 

>> YES, THEY DO.

 

>> OR WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN?

 

>> WELL, THERE'S A CRACK IN

THE STRUCTURE, AND THEY HAVE

TO TAKE THE STAIN GLASS WINDOW

IS BEING TEMPORARILY HELD IN

THERE BY TEMPORARY SUPPORTS.

WE HAVE SOME TEMPORARY WORK

DONE ON THE ORGAN THAT HAS TO

BE REMOVED SO THEY CAN GET

ACCESS TO THE WALL TO RESTORE

THE CHURCH TO ITS ORIGINAL

CONDITION.

 

>> ONCE AGAIN, I BET THAT

NEIGHBORS AND THE STORE OWNERS

DON KNOW ABOUT THIS.

 

>> WE HAVEN'T HEARD ABOUT THIS

YET.

BUT I'D LOVE TO SEE THAT

PROJECT FAST TRACKED, WITH SO

MANY PEOPLE WHO SEEM TO NEED

WORK IT WOULD BE GREAT IF

EVERYBODY COULD JUST --

 

>> THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL

QUESTION.

WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG, WHY

CAN'T YOU JUST GET A MILLION

PEOPLE IN FROM A DAY AND JUST

GET IT DONE?

 

>> IT WOULD BE GOOD.

HOWEVER, SINCE WE'RE WORKING

ON AN ELEVATOR SHAFT IT A

RELATIVELY SMALL AREA, IT'S

ESSENTIALLY 20 FOOT BY 20 FEET

AND JUST SO FEEHAN PEOPLE YOU

CAN NUT THERE AT ONE TIME.

THE ELEVATOR COMPANY WILL COME

IN AND START THE CONSTRUCTION

OF THE ELEVATOR.

BUT IT IS A SEQUENTIAL

OPERATION.

 

>> HOW BIG IS THIS ELEVATOR,

HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL IT HOLD?

 

>> IT'S APPROXIMATELY 4 FOOT

--

5 FOOT BY 6 FOOT.

I THINK IT COULD HOLD UP TO A

DOZEN PEOPLE OR A COUPLE OF

PEOPLE.

 

>> OR FOUR WHEELCHAIRS?

 

>> COUPLE OF WHEELCHAIRS.

NOBODY IS COMPLAIN GOING THAT,

THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE.

THE ISSUE IS WHEN.

 

>> MULTIPLE PEOPLE CAN RIDE IN

THE ELEVATOR.

 

>> WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW WITH

HANDICAP PEOPLE, HOW ARE PEERM

GETTING ACCESS WITH ALL OF

THIS?

 

>> THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO

THAT STATION.

THEY HAVE ACCESS DOWN AT THE

ARGUE STON STATION THOUGH.

 

>> THERE IS AN ELEVATOR DOWN

THERE NOW.

 

>> YES, NEAR THE CORNER OF

ARLINGTON AND BOYLSTON.

 

>> ALL RIGHT.

WE'LL HAVE YOU BACK IN A YEAR,

SEE WHAT KIND OF PROGRESS

YOU'RE MAKING.

 

>> I HOPE I'LL TELL YOU HOW IT

WENT.

 

>> THANK YOU, FRANK DePAOLA

YOU'RE A GOOD SPORT.

MEG MAINZER-COHEN, THANKS FOR

COMING.

NEXT, THE LATEST PHENOMENON IN

SOCIAL NETWORKING, BUT FIR

THIS MESSAGE FROM WGBH.

 

>> YOUR SOURCE FOR LOCAL

INTERNATIONAL CONVERSATION

WILL RETURN IN A MOMENT.

I'M RAY BROWN.

WHEN YOU TUNE IN TO "GREATER

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THANKS TO RUSSELL BREYER.

PLEASE CALL OR JOIN ONLINE

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>> "GREATER BOSTON" AND WGBH

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IT TELLS THE STORY OF

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>> WE'LL BE GOING BACK TO

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