Reports: Executive Director’s Reports

February 15, 2005

  1. City Budget Process - We have filed our budget request through Bo Holland and Toni Pollak, with additional backup narrative. Gary Saunders and I met with Bo and Toni to review the request; it has to fit into a tight City budget. The administration will finalize its budget and submit to the City Council in early April. The Council will hold hearings and look for modifications. Hearing process is chaired by Mike Ross, chair of the Ways and Means Committee. Process is completed by end of June.
  2. Funding - The final $600,000 installment of the Environmental Bond Bill funding has been received by the City. The contract is through most of the City's approval process, and we should be able to invoice for the funds shortly. The City will be adding $36,500 to the $100,000 contract they have with us for the current fiscal year. That change notice is working its way through the approval process as well.
  3. Community Group Meeting - Working with the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services, we have developed a list of community groups to invite to a meeting with Andrew Gottlieb that would also include Bo Holland and probably Toni Pollak. As soon as we clear format and location details with Mr. Gottlieb, we'll start calling to set up the meeting. Hopeful timeframe is late February or early March.
  4. BWSC - I met with John Sullivan and Henry Luthin to discuss our strategic planning process and whether there were ways we could better structure to work with them on groundwater issues. We also updated current issues. BWSC has begun construction on their sewer replacement and recharge system behind Hemenway Street. This is about a sixty day project once the weather lets them move on it. They also have funding for repair or replacement of the sewer in Back Street. They are investigating whether there have been problems with the relatively recent work on Stuart and St. James Streets and what impact that could have on groundwater. They repaired the leaking manhole at Dartmouth and Beacon Streets. As soon as the weather permits, they will investigate their sewer on Beacon Street between Berkeley and Clarendon to see if it may be contributing to a low reading on that block.
  5. Groundwater Emergency Taskforce - I met with Susan Scott and Mike Nairne of GET to discuss progress that has been made citywide on groundwater issues. We discussed the forum in which they are participating in April about groundwater issues. We also discussed their perception that the recharge on St. Charles Street is helping only in a very small area. They continue to press for a solution that will help in a wider area. We also discussed the differing roles of the Trust and an advocacy organization like GET.
  6. MBTA Southwest Corridor - We have authorized the MBTA through GEI to have access to three of our wells to try to determine if their actions are responsible for the observed wide and rapid variations in groundwater levels at those locations. Christian has participated in one observation session. The results have not to date indicated clearly whether the T's groundwater pumping is responsible for the variations.
  7. MBTA Copley Station - In our comment letter on proposed renovations at Copley Station, the Trust asked the T to investigate whether problems in their tunnels could be responsible for low readings at nearby wells on Boylston Street and Huntington Avenue near the tunnels heading away from the station. The T did not respond to those concerns in their environmental filings for the station. However, we raised them again during our meeting on the Silver Line. They have promised, but not yet delivered, additional data.
  8. Zoning - Spoke yesterday with Rick Shaklik. He is meeting with Mark Maloney later this week to go over draft. If the Director agrees, he will then share the draft with a select group including us for comments. Then he will proceed to the required public meeting. He says that much of the internal City response has been positive.
  9. New Well Contract - We have received the bids for the next contract for (114) wells. These are to be partially funded through the US EPA grant. We have reviewed the procedures for contract approval and reimbursement with EPA and DEP and should be able to proceed shortly.
  10. Recharge through Sidewalks - I was in contact with the local engineering authorities in Olympia, WA, and Ross Township, PA, both of which have had permeable sidewalks installed for several years. Both have had very good experience with the material. I have forwarded their responses to Para Jayasinghe, who continues to look into the topic.
  11. Website - We have added the information on Building Inspection Reports to the website. We continue to work on the transformation from spreadsheet to database that will make our data much easier to use. For the first time since I've been here, this month several people contacted me through the website to ask to be put on our email information list. I have spoken with Raj Pareek, who runs the City's website. We now have links from multiple points on the City's website to ours.
  12. Press - Groundwater issues continue to receive prominent coverage in the Boston Courant, with several related articles this month. I have been interviewed by the Boston Globe for an article slated to appear shortly that will talk about groundwater issues, mostly related to Columbus Center. I was also interviewed for a piece to appear in the Boston University student paper and for one that may appear in the Back Bay Station.
  13. Environment Dept - I met with Bryan Glascock and Maura Zlody to discuss our strategic planning and our interaction with their department. Maura will be reaching out on a web interchange in which she participates to see if others have experience and ideas that relate to our groundwater-wood piling problem. We also discussed ways in which to further institutionalize the City's response to the issue.
  14. Public Meetings - Attended BRA Small Project Review public meetings on Penny Savings Bank and Gatehouse projects. Both have led to what will likely be agreements to include monitoring and certification of no groundwater removal in cooperation agreements. The meeting on the Gatehouse led to an agreement to redo their solution to groundwater issues in their foundation design to assure that groundwater will not be removed from the site.
  15. MEPA Scoping Session - Attended MEPA scoping session on Lovejoy Wharf project.
  16. Comment Letters - Filed comment letters on Lovejoy Wharf, Pier 4, Nashua Street Residences, and Olmsted Green projects. All comment letters are posted on our website.
  17. Revisions to Declaration of Trust - Our proposed revisions are being reviewed by the Law Dept prior to submittal to the City Council. They think that everything looks clean and should be passing them back to the Mayor's office shortly. The revisions will likely be sponsored by the Mayor.
  18. Tax Status - The Law Dept. has asked us to hold off on filing for 501(c)3 status while they review what the appropriate position for the Trust is. They are also reviewing their response to the letter received from the IRS asking for tax filings since the inception of the Trust. I expect to meet with them and probably someone on a policy level within the next few weeks to reach final resolution on this. As of now, we are still leaning toward a 501(c)3 filing.