The Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture held a public hearing last week on proposed legislation that would take unprecedented steps to protect groundwater levels statewide.
State Reps. Marty Walz, Aaron Michlewitz and Byron Rushing are sponsoring House Bill No. 852, which advocates for safeguarding structures built on filled land and supported by wood pilings from the deterioration caused by lowered groundwater levels.
“This is a significant problem in Boston and coastal communities throughout the state,” Walz said before a standing-room crowd at the State House. “The expense isn’t covered by insurance, and it costs $250,000 to underpin a typical row house in the City of Boston.”
The proposed legislation would give the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) the sole authority to develop, implement and enforce regulations for groundwater protection throughout the Commonwealth. The bill also proposes to codify the existing City/State Groundwater Working Group.
The DEP will also be mandated to create the Groundwater Protection Board, a 15-member committee that will resolve any disputes regarding damage allegedly caused by lowered groundwater levels.
The bill also recommends the establishment of a Groundwater Protection Fund to help subsidize the cost of repairing areas impacted by lowered groundwater levels, although Walz told the Joint Committee that she realizes this might not be economically feasible at this time.
Walz said she and the other sponsors hope to work with the Joint Committee to revise the bill. The Joint Committee must act on the bill by mid-March. If the bill moves forward, it could go before the House and Senate for a vote by July 31.

City Councilor Sal LaMattina, citing the need to take quick and meaningful action, led a meeting lat week, focusing on the rodent problem plaguing several of the city’s neighborhoods. “It’s obvious that we need to do more on this issue,” LaMattina said. “This is an emergency and we need to get everybody involved.”
Officials from the city’s Inspectional Services Department (ISD), as well as representatives from the state Transportation Department, the Boston Water and Sewer Commission and NStar testified before the City and Neighborhood Services Committee, which LaMattina chairs. Two members of the North End/Waterfront Residents’ Association also offered testimony.
While thanking ISD for the work the department has done baiting and trapping, as well as citing those in violation of the law, LaMattina noted that he’d chaired a similar meeting two years ago and yet the problem has not been sufficiently addressed. One step the councilor supports is limiting the food available to rats by decreasing the amount of time that garbage is left outside.
“I don’t understand why trash cannot be out at 6 a.m. and picked up by 9 a.m. We need to stop talking about it and do it,” said LaMattina, who has repeatedly advocated such a change. “We need to look at what they do in Cambridge, where they have no overnight trash.”
The councilor also reiterated his support for the so-called “green-ticket bill,” which would allow the city to enforce code violations more expediently and more effectively. LaMattina said that he’d spoken to House Speaker Robert DeLeo, who agreed that the proposal was important. State Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, who was present at the hearing, also pledged support for the green-ticket bill.
Officials from ISD noted that they’ve worked with Councilor LaMattina to bring about changes in the practices of specific addresses, especially in the North End, that have had chronic problems when it comes to storing trash, but also noted that some of those cases have languished for too long in the courts.
Councilor LaMattina called for scheduling a working meeting that included the head of the city’s Public Works Department to address adjustments to the times that trash can be put outside, as well as other issues related to rodents.
“We have to make some bold decisions,” said the councilor, “and we need to stick by them.”

The owner of DeLuca’s Market withdrew a controversial plan to rehabilitate the Charles Street building that is home to the business last month after the city’s Board of Appeals refused his request to defer a hearing on the matter.
Virgil Aiello, proprietor of DeLuca’s and the building owner, intended to add a one-story addition to the structure’s ell at the rear of Charles Street Cleaners, which abuts Branch Street, to accommodate a single studio apartment. He also planned to expand the first floor of DeLuca’s at into the adjacent space.
Aiello's proposal required zoning relief from the city because the market was to be expanded into space now zoned as residential, and the addition of the studio apartment would have increased the floor-area ratio of the ell, among other variances.
At last week’s hearing, Nikko Mendoza, assistant director of the city’s Office of Neighborhood Services, recommended against a postponement. “We don’t think another deferment will change the outcome,” she said.
Tom Clemens, chairman of the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) Zoning and Licensing Committee, also opposed a deferment.
“We would prefer that the matter be denied without prejudice so that the applicant would really have time to consult with design professionals,” Clemens said. “A deferment really wouldn’t send the right message.”
Michelle Snyder, a spokesperson for City Council President Mike Ross’ office, said, “We are in opposition [to the proposal], but if the applicant wants to defer, we won’t stand in the way of that.”
On Nov. 11, the BHCA board of directors voted unanimously to oppose Aiello’s plan, following an earlier recommendation against the project from its Zoning and Licensing Committee.
One week earlier, the Zoning and Licensing Committee vote to recommend that the BHCA board oppose the project after hearing objections from more than 40 nearby residents and abutters of DeLuca’s. No one publicly spoke in favor of the proposal at that time.

Hill House will launch a new after-school program next month that will offer participants help with their homework, as well as the chance to take part in a wide range of extracurricular activities.
“Kids love coming to Hill House,” said Ian Moorhouse, associate director of the Beacon Hill community center. “This new program will allow kids to combine their homework with doing great activities in the safe and fun environment that Hill House provides.”
The program for 9- to 12-year-olds will run from 3 to 6 p.m. weekdays from June to September, excluding holidays and school vacations. Hill House staff members will assist children with their homework during the first 90 minutes of each day and instruct extracurricular activities, including photography, dance, CPR training and cooking, for the remainder of the time. Participants will also actively contribute to at least three community service projects throughout each semester. The so-called “homework club” will be limited to 12 members to start.
“There will never be hundreds of kids,” Moorhouse said. “We like to keep the ratio [of staff members to children] low because the quality is so much better.”
Families can register online for the program at www.hillhouseboston.org. For more information, contact Ian Moorhouse at 617-227-5838 ext. 18 or via e-mail at imoorhouse@hillhouseboston.org.

Devonia Antiques for Dining is moving to one of the city’s most coveted spots, calling 15 Charles St. its new home.
For more than 15 years, this Beacon Hill shop has catered to many Bostonians, avid international clientele, celebrity collectors and hundreds of tourists with their collection of Minton, Royal Doulton, Barcarrat, Coalport, Lenox and Steuben. Devonia Antiques specializes in fashionable settings for today’s tables, bringing Gilded Age elegance into the modern era.
After 15 years of being on a second floor, hard-to-find location, Hedtler is thrilled about her sparkly new showroom at eye level.
“I have always admired 15 Charles St. for its beautiful bay window, charming high ceilings, hardwood floors and two fireplaces,” owner Lori Hedtler said. “With our new location right next door to DeLuca’s Market, we are easily found, very accessible and convenient.”
Devonia’s ever-changing inventory includes all price levels appropriate for beginning shoppers who enjoy one-piece crystal to collectors who are purchasing entire table settings to brides and their families who have Devonia Antiques listed on their custom bridal registries.
Venetian glass chandeliers and sconces are sold at the new location. Hand blown in a variety of colors and featuring 24k gold, these Venetian pieces are exclusively created on the island of Murano.
“We have all kinds of beautiful antique porcelain in rich hues of cobalt blue, ruby, green, pink and even yellow, which is a very rare color find, but uniquely stunning nonetheless,” Hedtler said.
Devonia Antiques has a second showroom in West Palm Beach, Fla.