CAPTION: A dock near the Union Boat Club, which has raised concerns for Community Boating Inc.

With its dock in a state of serious disrepair, Community Boating Executive Director Charlie Zechel hopes the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) can find the money to replace it before the spring of 2011.
“The dock facing the Union Boat Club is dilapidated to the point where it’s not safe anymore,” Zechel said. “It’s a very serious situation, and there’s no interim or permanent solution.”
Incorporated in 1946, Community Boating Inc. is an educational non-profit organization that operates in association with DCR and offers a wide range of sailing programming on the Charles River for adults, children and disabled individuals.
In regard to the weatherworn dock, Zechel said this “creeping crisis” isn’t a first for Community Boating either, citing the failure of a 50-foot section of a dock in the fall of 2003. Zechel expects the dock will endure another season but would need to replaced by April of 2011 for the following season.
DCR spokesperson Wendy Fox said the $4 million project remains a high priority for the state agency as it awaits federal funding for the next fiscal year.
“The design is 95-percent complete, and we have the permits all in hand,” Fox said. “We’re waiting for funding, and we don’t know what we’ll have yet.”

Mayor Thomas M. Menino will join Beacon Hill residents for the official reopening of Phillips Street Park on Friday, Oct. 30, at 3:30 p.m. The celebration will highlight the Mayor’s commitment to parks and open space in Boston.
The Boston Parks and Recreation Department oversaw $444,426 in park renovations funded by Mayor Menino’s Capital Improvement Program. The finished park, located at 21 Phillips St. on Beacon Hill, features an upper plaza with brick paving, ornamental metal fencing, benches and game tables and a lower plaza with a sculptural play structure for 5- to 12-year-old children. An amphitheatre seating wall with tiered levels provides additional flexible seating for the lower plaza and ornamental metal fencing will protect the plant beds. New drainage systems and plantings are also part of the park’s design.
Children’s entertainment at the reopening celebration will include a one-man-band, face painting, a Halloween costume parade (children are encouraged to come in costume) free T-shirts and refreshments.
For more information on the groundbreaking celebration, please call Claudette Bailey of the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at 617-961-3006.

PHOTO 1 CAPTION: Brian Koslosky of Hill House.

With his recent promotion to marketing and volunteer coordinator, Brian Koslosky of Hill House hopes to get more local residents involved in the community center while maintaining its welcoming presence in the neighborhood.
“I hope to grow the volunteer base into other neighborhoods and attract more young professionals,” Koslosky said. “At the same time, I want to continue the friendly atmosphere Hill House provides for kids.”
A native of suburban Philadelphia, Koslosky moved to Boston to attend Northeastern University and played on the college’s soccer team. He began working part-time at Hill House in the fall of 2007 as a program assistant for the soccer program, handling a wide range of duties including scheduling games and practices, ordering uniforms and recruiting volunteer coaches.
Koslosky was immediately struck by the tireless dedication of the many people who volunteer and show their support for Hill House.
“Hundreds of people will turn out for a soccer game on a Saturday morning, bringing together kids from different schools,” Koslosky said. “Everyone is so involved and just wants what’s best for the neighborhood.”
Upon graduating from Northeastern in May of 2008, Koslosky expanded his role and began assisting with baseball and other athletic programs at Hill House.
In his new position, Koslosky faces additional challenges as the person responsible for planning Hill House events, including the Halloween and Valentine’s Day parties, birthday parties for children and a monthly dinner for seniors.
Together with Development Associate Kelsey Brunone, Koslosky will also oversee Hill House’s two biggest annual fundraising events - its Christmas tree sale and the Backyard Dash in the spring.
Koslosky has already implemented a unique approach to outreach by which Hill House will concentrate its efforts to help one group at a time. “I want to streamline the program to focus on a single charity each month,” he said. This month, Hill House is assisting the Charlestown-based Harvest on Vine food pantry, and future partners will include Temporary Home for Women & Children and Project Hope, which provides Christmas gifts for needy children.
Following the launch of Hill House’s newly revamped Web site in August, Koslosky is now streamlining the site to make it a valuable tool for residents citywide.
“We’re going to add a community-resource page with information and links for everything residents of the City of Boston would need,” he said.

PHOTO 1 CAPTION: Pictured, left to right, are Lori Bate, chair of the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA); Donna Petro, president of the Beacon Hill Business Association; Becky Malzer, BHCA board member; and Mary Fran Townshend, president of the Beacon Hill Garden Club.

PHOTO 2 CAPTION: Mali Bo Gurnon of Charles Street, one of the winners in the children’s category.

PHOTO 3 CAPTION: Cambridge Street Community Development Corporation chairman Ben Coburn and project manager Matt Bergen.

PHOTO 4 CAPTION: Henry James Hagedorn of Hancock Street, one of the winners in the children’s category.

Last Tuesday, the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA), the Beacon Hill Business Association and the Beacon Hill Garden Club sponsored the awards reception for the 51st Annual Window Box Contest.
In the residential category, award recipients for window boxes include 89 Charles St., 13 Walnut St., 18 Temple St., 12 Brimmer St, 29 Brimmer St., 38 Lime St. and 90 Chestnut St. Award-winning tree pits were at 10 Bowdoin St. # 204 and Spruce and Chestnut streets.
Business winners included Primo’s Convenience Store at 24 Joy St., Top Shelf Market at 161 Charles St. and the Hill Tavern at 228 Cambridge St.
In the children’s category, the winners were 8-year-old Mali Bo Gurnon of Charles Street and Henry James Hagedorn, age 3, of Hancock Street.
The Cambridge Street Community Development Corporation, a network of Cambridge Street businesses that maintain the landscaping on the street’s median, also received special recognition for their contributions to the neighborhood at the banquet.
The reception also included a presentation entitled “The Greening of Beacon Hill” from West Cedar Street resident Sharon Malt, who serves as the committee chair of the Garden Club and the BHCA Green Committee co-chair.

In this age of digital graphics and computer enhancement, we rarely wonder anymore while looking at still photography, “Is that real?” We merely assume that it isn’t a perfectly true representation anymore. The subject’s flaws have been removed – a blemish softened, colors enhanced, unflattering lines erased, imperfections sculpted away with the click of a mouse. The wonder of discovery, of photographic darkroom composition, is no longer necessary. So what has happened to those artists who created film photos, capturing those one-of-a-kind, inimitable moments?
Jen Matson is one of those incredible photographers who would still prefer their manual camera with some natural light and a singular scene to digital enhancement any day. Matson creates uniquely beautiful pictures for clients all over Boston. “I don’t even hand over my negative to a lab to be processed, I work in the darkroom. When people see my work, they are seeing images that I made myself.”
In her same sense that her own art comes from the hands of an artist and not from the point and click of a computer, creating fruitful relationships within the art community and nurturing a repeating customer base takes a person who is willing to spend the time “developing” it. Matson is also somewhat of an artistic entrepreneur, who, although she believes that many of these responsibilities have “fallen into my lap,” possesses the savvy of a business person who would never underestimate the value of finding new venues and events to showcase her own work. But what is unique about this artist-cum-impresario is that she wants to share the wealth.
Artists Crossing, a local co-op born from the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s efforts to utilize empty spaces in the famous Downtown Crossing shopping district during last year’s holiday season, is the responsibility of Matson. Located at 34 Bromfield Street in Boston, the artist co-operative features the work of several other photographers, potters, and painters as well as artists who work in jewelry and fashion. “It’s really great, most of the other artists are my friends.” Still due to the success of the effort as well as the continued availability of the space, Artists Crossing has remained opened, which is great news to those customers coming back to find another stunning photo of a winter nightscape as well as those other 200,000 general consumers that stroll from the Macy’s, Marshalls or the Maxx daily.
One would think that handling the orders from corporate clients as well as maintaining a storefront of various artists in Downtown Crossing is enough for a day’s work. But, Matson still finds time to go out and photograph those beautiful images of the city. And, there’s more! With the same attention to detail that makes her inventive photos come to life in the darkroom, Matson also helps create the composition of the annual Beacon Hill Art Walk. For about ten years, Matson has both aligned the artists and their artwork as well as more recently, helped to coordinate the spaces for their display.
Since 1990, the Beacon Hill Art Walk has presented the work of dozens of artists from the Boston area on the first Sunday of each June. As musicians fill the summer air with the sound of live classical, klezmer and folk songs, the exhibit, a combination of artwork in a variety of media, styles and subjects, is displayed and juried throughout the gardens, alleyways and courtyards by the grace of the residents of the North Slope of Beacon Hill, generous with their space and time. In the past few years, Matson has taken on the role of helping to align the picture-perfect exhibit locations. “It’s one of my favorite shows, a very fun neighborhood event,” Matson enthuses.
Because of the success of the Art Walk in June, a smaller scale show featuring the winning artists has been created for a November Holiday Walk that will take place on November 21st and 22nd at the Hill House at 127 Mount Vernon Street Beacon Hill, Boston.
Matson’s other projects include serving on the board of the South of Washington Street Art Walk, and ArtFridays at Downtown Crossing, which is extending into the Downtown Crossing Holiday Market that will run from Saturday, November 28th through to Wednesday, December 30th.
“Photography was always a hobby,” Maston admits. Her degree was in Psychology from Boston University, but Matson couldn’t shake the need to adjust the F-Stop and she began taking evening classes to further her knowledge in her avocation at New England School of Photography. “I still use their darkrooms,” Matson admits. In 1998, Matson decided, “I took photography on as a business.” And quite a business she has taken on. Still, with the shifts in the economy, even the artists with great local exposure have been seeing sales numbers dwindling. “Our sales are down, but we keep going and keep showing our art. It’s a kind of thing that we see the interest in people, and just hope that six months from now, they’ll be ready to buy.”
As long as there are spunky artists determined to get their work out into the public, willing to spend the time with their customers relaying the stories of the real pictures that they have taken, perhaps computer graphics and digital design will not desensitize us to the wonders of light and color that film photography still may capture through a simple lens, the appropriate aperture, a steady focus and a very good eye. And Jen Matson will help keep us focused on real art in the city of Boston.
For more information on Jen Matson’s photography please visit www.jlmimages.com/ or go to Artists Crossing at 34 Bromfield Street in Downtown Crossing, the Gallery hours are Tuesdays 11 am - 5 pm; Wednesdays noon-3 pm; Thursdays. 11-6; Fridays 11-4; Saturdays--open, hours will vary. For more information on the Beacon Hill Art Walk, please visit www.beaconhillartwalk.org/. For more information on SoWa go to www.southendopenmarket.com/ or ArtFridays and their upcoming Holiday Market go to www:artfridays.com.

The Friends of the Public Garden (FOGP) are celebrating a landmark anniversary this year. At its first of many events planned for the year, FOGP will present news of the Brewer Fountain Plaza Renovation at Boston Common tonight at The Hampshire House, 84 Beacon Street beginning at 6 p.m. At this event, in which the renovation plans for the centerpiece of the Common will be discussed, there will be various announcements parlaying the plans for the FOPG 40th anniversary celebrations. These plans will include a launch event in January that will highlight the coming agenda of a series of activities for children, an evening of recognition for those who have contributed both time and energy to the FOPG, as well as a poetry slam that will include students from Boston University.
Today, we take for granted the Common and the Public Garden that are alive like in the Fall. Chipmunks, squirrels and birds fatten up for the long winter months ahead, bikers, boarders and moms pushing strollers get their wheels out for the last of the long wanderings over the walkways; and the workers of the world take the few remaining outdoor coffee breaks of the year. Everyone is savoring these last few moments before the air, now crisp, turns too biting to linger and even the evergreens sleep under a blanket of snow. However, it is hard to imagine the dreadful conditions that lead the group of locals to try and save the Common and the Public Garden forty years ago.
In 1970, after watching the Public Garden and the Common “deteriorate almost beyond repair,” as Liz Vizza, Administrative Director at the FOPG described, “a small group of neighbors, led by current FOPG president Henry Lee and the late Stella Trafford, rallied together to fight a gargantuan threat to the first public botanical garden in the United States.” A major five-skyscraper development deal was planned that real estate mogul and owner of U.S. News & World Report and the New York Daily News Mort Zuckerman had put before the receptive civic leaders.
The development deal made sense to the Boston Redevelopment Group as well as then Mayor Kevin White. It would provide millions of shining square feet of space in a city that was in desperate need of revitalizing. Vizza goes on to explain, “So many of the fences had been pushed over and people would just drive their cars right up into the Garden and the Common.”
However, the development would cast a giant shadow over the Public Garden, darkening the skies over the plants and the trees, some of which were hundreds of years old. The skyscrapers would starve the Public Garden of sunlight.
Lee and Trafford formed the Friends of the Public Garden to rebuild the fences as well as fight the devastation the buildings would bring. After ten years of constant contention with both developers and city planners, Lee and Trafford, with the support of the community, played David to the 600 foot steel Goliaths and FOPG persevered.
Today, that struggle to maintain two of the jewels of the Emerald Necklace as designed by Frederick Law Olmsted stands as a model of advocacy and citizen participation in modern urban city development. FOPG, now responsible for stewardship of the Public Garden, the Boston Common and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, work to maintain the balance between private involvement and city responsibility, walking that tenuous line of partnership and “holding someone’s feet to the fire” Vizza muses.
It has been a tough forty years for the FOPG, but to see the Public Garden and the Common today, one can only hope that the FOPG will be a part of the Boston community for many more anniversaries to come.
For more information on the Friends of the Public Garden and their upcoming anniversary events, please visit www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org/.

The battle is never done …

All too often, elected and appointed leaders focus solely on the urgency of the day and sometimes forget to take a long view of what their decisions will have on the future generations.
Fast forward to today.
When anyone looks from upper floors of the Four Seasons, the Ritz Carlton condominiums, the Union Club or any of the other buildings surrounding the Boston Common or the Public Garden, one sees a green oasis.
If not for the Friends of the Public Garden (FOPG) this picture could have been very different or maybe been only a memory of the generations from the beginning of the 20th Century.
FOPG was started in 1970, when Boston was on its knees with school busing and economic stagnation. Their vision to preserve and protect the verdant open space was pitting them against city officials whose main goal was building badly needed new development.
Their first battle in the late 1970’s, fighting a five-tower development that would have cut off a significant amount of sunlight into this oasis was truly David versus Goliath.
Yet, they won this and many other major victories that have rescued and saved the green spaces of the Common, the Garden and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.
Today, the battle to protect these spaces continues. It is a battle never done.
Boston has turned into a hot real estate area and the neighborhoods that surround the Common and Garden are among the hottest and most expensive in the city. While these neighborhoods have thrived, there has been an adverse effect on these open spaces where grass and trees are in danger. At a meeting last year on the Common, Henry Lee, FOPG leader said that the ground is so hard from people walking on it that rain sometimes can not penetrate to the roots of the shrubs and trees. Such comments and conditions have helped to make saving the Common one of Councilor Mike Ross’s causes.
After 40 years, everyone publicly recognizes the intrinsic value of these spaces. But today, in the backrooms among developers who believe they are the city’s future as well as its power brokers, there are moves afoot to build much larger buildings, with high density, that overlook these precious park lands. These new steel towers with thousands of people living and working in them could end up destroying everything that has come before.
We are a generation whom have become all too aware that “green” is the way to go. However, we still give this cause more lip service than practice.
We congratulate the FOPG on their milestone anniversary knowing that unfortunately the fight to protect open space is no easier today than it was in 1970.
Maybe on its 80th anniversary, our leaders will finally heed the lessons from the FOPG and pay closer attention to those who have saved the city’s most fabulous and irreplaceable open spaces.