Boston Common Renovation Part II

Last March Aaron and I posted that historic Boston Common would be going under extensive renovation! Now, a little less than a year later the rehabilitation is almost complete.

The Liberty Mall, which runs from Park St. Station up to the Massachusetts State House, received the largest facelift from the project. Since I pass by the project everyday on my way to class I was able to follow the renovation every step of the way! The entire mall was completely torn up to take away all of the dead grass, cracked concrete, dead trees, and frost-heaved asphalt. Soon after everything was ripped up, huge amounts of loam were brought in and the reconstruction began! The entire Plaza that surrounds the historic Brewer Fountain received new granite tiles and wooden benches. All of the paths were repaved and received new granite sidings and drains. Most importantly however, yards upon yards of fresh sod was rolled down and numerous new trees were planted, creating and even greener Boston Common. To keep the new trees and grass lush and healthy all year long, a new sprinkler system was also installed along the entire mall. Currently, huge fences can still be found surrounding the newly planted sod and trees to make sure that the grass takes properly, but all of the paths are now open to allow pedestrians to walk through and see what's new! 

The visitors center under construction
this past summer

Another major part of the project was to restore the Boston Common Visitors Center. Now fully revitalized and open for business, the center received a head-to-toe facelift. All of the siding was taken down and replaced, a new granite walkway and new outside lighting were installed, and a fresh coat of paint was slapped on. The inside also received some attention with the installation of two LCD display screens, new lighting, and a totally reorganized gift shop. The center is now not only visually appealing, but a wonderful place for Boston's tourist to find out information. 

In the last post I stated that free Wi-Fi would be installed throughout much of the common and that  a stand or building would be installed near the Brewer Fountain. Currently, neither of those have happened and I have not seen or read anything that tell me they will be happening in the near future. Not to worry, though, as I'm sure they will be coming along once summer hits! Overall, the $1.5 Million project, funded by the Friends of the Public Garden, seems to be an overall success. All of the landscape development was done by Valley Crest Landscape Architects. 

Right now this is an eyesore but soon
it will be site of the new elevator!

View from the Red
line platform 

This post would not be complete, however, without a small tidbit about the MBTA. As many of you know, the MBTA is currently underway with its construction of a new elevator at Park St. Station. Although the project is still a ways away from its estimated completion date, Fall 2012, the project seems to be moving along full speed. When all is said and done this $8.7 million project will install two brand new elevators in the station. One will go from the Common to the Green Line westbound platform and the other will go from the Green Line westbound platform to the center platform of the Red line. 

The MBTA Could Soon Be Going Green

The terminal is located in Red 

For those of you who ride any line out of North Station, the BET or the Boston Engine Terminal is a very familiar site. The terminal, which is home to the MBTA's commuter rail maintenance facility, was completed in 1998 at a cost of $170 Million. It boasts a total of 380,000 square feet, 80,000 of which is administrative and employee facilities for the MBCR and an enormous eight-acre roof which is shaped, humorously, like a T.

Currently the MBTA is the largest consumer of electricity in Massachusetts, spending about $21.6 million  in fiscal year 2010. Currently they pay about eight cents per kilowatt when the market rate is only five cents per kilowatt. To save money, the T has been heavily researching way to incorporate renewable energy in and around the system.

They have been approached by a solar power company (which has yet to be identified) about the possibility of installing solar photovoltaic arrays on the eight acre roof of the BET, the Readville Yard, and Billerica's Iron Horse Park. 

The T will officially put out a bid request for third-party solar instillation firms around Labor Day. 

The T was originally planning on building their own solar panels on top of the BET but they were unable to acquire USDOT TIGER funds for the project. Currently they are looking at a few business models for the project. They include leasing the rooftop of the BET for about 25 years at a time to a power company.They are also thinking about maybe engaging in a land lease while simultaneously purchasing the solar power to run the facility that houses the panels.

The MBTA is also in negotiations to pursue a new power contract for fiscal year 2012. Currently the T has a contract, which expires in December 2012, with Florida based NextEra Energy. The Company, which operates the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in New Hampshire, has been under scrutiny recently because many people feel that the plant is unsafe and out of date. 

With a new contract the T hopes to save the Commonwealth a total of $4.7 Million in fiscal 2012. They're hoping to come to an agreement with a new company to allow them to blend their current price with the market price to average around 6.5 cents per kilowatt hour. This would reduce their bulk energy cost to about $16.9 Million down from $21.6 Million. The T hopes to have bids starting to flow in by August.

Although the T is trying to become a green transportation authority it is going to take quite a bit of time and money to get them where they need to be. Hopefully in the next few years we will see solar panels and wind turbines showing up all over the system, but we will just have to wait and see.

Science Park Station Closed for Six Months During Rehabilitation

Science Park and Lechmere Station on the Green Line will be closed for six months, until December, while the MBTA works on badly needed renovations to rehabilitate the Science Park station. If you've ever ridden through this station, it was probably easy to see that the rehab will be well worth it. Once completed, it will be fully accessible for all riders and will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 


Construction began on April 30th and will continue throughout the summer and fall. Improvements will include two new elevators, widened station platforms, replaced platform canopy roofs, and reconstructed stairways. In addition, upgrades to lighting, telecommunications, electrical, fire protection, fire alarm, signage systems, and station landscaping will also be made. 


To make up for the suspended service, the MBTA is now running shuttle buses between North Station and Lechmere, also making stops at the Museum of Science and the Amy Lowell House. During peak hours and special events at the TD Garden, these shuttles will depart every four minutes, on off-peak hours, every ten minutes, and every twelve to fifteen minutes during night hours. 


So why bother closing the station for such a long time? The MBTA cites many reasons: One of the biggest is that it should significantly decrease the time needed for construction—by as much as six months. Much like the proposed Government Center renovation . Other reasons include increased safety for pedestrians and riders, cost reductions by eliminating the need for unnecessary power shutdowns and safety support, and a reduction in nighttime noise because the construction can be carried out during the day time.


For more info, visit the MBTA's Project Page.

What's new at Fenway?

The baseball season is officially in full swing, and even though this year's Sox team hasn't quite been pleasing fans, spectators of all kinds will be able to find something to appreciate with the newest renovations and additions to America's favorite ballpark.

This year marked the tenth and final year in a series of renovations costing $285 million to restore and revamp the park. The plan, begun in 2002, was to ensure that the 99 year old park will remain the home to the Red Sox for at least the next three or four decades. Construction was finally completed by opening day on April 8, with the unveiling of three new HD video boards, seen at right.


The John Hancock screen in the center, measuring in at 100 feet wide and 38 feet high cost the team $40 million. New videos and player information can now be seen on this screen, along with the to-be-expected large space for advertising. To the left, the Bank of America display, 17 feet high and 100 feet wide, was replaced with a brand new LED screen, and over the right field bleachers, the 16 by 30 foot display is also new.


ANC Sports undertook the installation of this brand new equipment. 


Spectators will now be able to see the same type of information that fans watching on their TVs at home can see. The screens will remain clear even in bright sun, ensuring a high picture quality all the time.


In addition to these new displays, renovations over the past off-season included the replacement or refurbishing of 10,000 seats in the lower grandstand of the right field and major improvements at Gate D. Also new this year are the creation of concrete surfaces on walkways from Gate D to Gate C which will make it easier for people to move about.

Boston Common Renovation!

If your regular commute brings you by the Boston Common, like mine and Aaron's does, then you're probably wondering why there is suddenly a huge fence that stretches from the head houses at the Park Street station up through the liberty mall to the edge of Beacon Street and closes off everything in between.

When I first got back from Spring Break I was very annoyed that these fences were impeding my morning walk to class. When I found out what they were for though I figured I could deal with them for a little while. Well here's whats happening!

Thanks to the Friends of the Public Garden the Common will be getting a well needed, 1.5 million dollar facelift. The 1.5 million will pay for a lot of great upgrades. All of the cracked concrete and pavement in the Liberty Mall will be replaced with new granite pathways and edges. Old decaying trees will be cut down and replaced with new ones. The amount of green space in this area of the Common will be almost doubled. An extensive sprinkler system will also be installed in order to keep the lawns looking lush and beautiful.   Much like the Rose Kennedy Greenway, 80% of the common will have access to free WI-FI service. The largest advancement for the entire project though, is the addition of a stand/building that will serve as a reading room and a rental station. The building will hold magazines, newspapers, and about 400 books, along with rentals of checkers and chess sets. There will also be lots of moveable tables, umbrellas, and chairs to give people a nice place to relax. Visitors of the common may also be able to enjoy free music which will be played by a professional pianist on a custom built piano for the Common! Another thing that is in the works for this project is to get a high end gourmet food truck that will serve this new revitalized area. 

This is a little blurry,  but you can get the gist of it.

The Common isn't the only thing that is getting a facelift though. The MBTA is also funding a large elevator installment and renovation at the Park Street station. This $8.7 million project will install two brand new elevators in the station. One will go from the Common to the Green Line westbound platform and the other will go from the Green Line westbound platform to the center platform of the Red line. 

All of of the renovations to the Common and to the Park Street station are said to start by the end of this week and hopefully end by the beginning of August. If all goes according to plan college students and tourists alike should have a very nice and relaxing place to spend their time!