The 345 kV project provides the capability to deliver up to 1,800 megawatts of power to the Greater Boston area. The initiative will also provide economic benefits by reducing the area’s reliance on older, higher-cost power-generating plants. A study by ISO New England recommends building new transmission lines, like the NSTAR 345kV project, to the regional system to meet future growth in electricity use and to offset the potential retirement of some local plants. Consumer demand for electricity has increased by 20 percent over the past several years, and this growth is expected to continue.

The new transmission lines, approximately 18 miles in length, run through several Boston neighborhoods including South Boston, Hyde Park, Dorchester, and Mattapan, and extend south through Milton, Canton and Stoughton. In Boston, the project route includes Cummins Highway, American Legion Highway, Old Road, Columbia Road, Day Boulevard, I Street, East Third Street and K Street.

Slated for overall completion in Spring 2009 this new line will carry much-needed electricity into the Boston area from Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. For more information on this project, please call the Project Information Line at 1-800-331-4084 or visit our project website at www.transmissionproject.net. A Community Hotline has also been set-up for specific questions and concerns related to the project and can be reached at 1-800-830-1564.

The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center has surpassed even its boosters’ best expectations, and was named the “Convention Center of the Year” in 2007.  This is partly due to its communications capabilities and partly due to its sheer size.  Recently, the Massachusetts Convention Authority announced a feasibility study to expand the Convention Center, which is already New England’s largest single building.

Exelon’s L Street Power Plant, which borders the Reserve Channel, retired the second of its two generating units in November.  Cleanup and dismantling of the entire plant is expected to begin this year, after a series of community hearings.  Long-term plans for the site have not been announced.

In January, MassPort announced that it wished to acquire the Coastal site, a 30-acre site on East First Street owned by the Coastal subsidiary of El Paso Corporation.  Because of oil seepage over the years, there has been a significant controversy over the site’s cleanup.  If the deal goes through, MassPort intends to expand the Conley Terminal along the Reserve Channel using the Coastal property.

Late in January, Mayor Menino released plans for the Jimmy’s Harborside property that were assembled by the B.R.A.  The property will hold an office building and up to four restaurants; the Harbor Walk and access roads will be extended along the Waterfront.  The $30 million project is slated for completion in 2009.

The Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel became the Waterfront’s newest hospitality location, when it completed its “soft opening” in January.  It has 450 elegantly appointed rooms, all with state-of-the-art electronics technology.

Late last year, Gale International completed its plans for what it calls “Seaport Square”.  This will be built on the McCourt Properties.  These plans are being presented to South Boston at this time, via a series of open community meetings.  Seaport Square is a true mega-project – a city-within-a-city amounting to 6.5 million square feet.  The project will mean an expenditure of many billions of dollars; it is reputed to be the largest mixed-use development ever undertaken in the Northeast.

The job impact from all of these developments will be enormous: as many as 15,000 construction jobs, followed by 30,000 (or more) permanent positions.  All of these projects, when they are completed, will essentially use up the areas available for mixed developments along the South Boston Waterfront..

Another article would be needed to cover industrial and commercial developments on the eastern reaches of the South Boston peninsula, within the Marine Industrial Complex.  The Fort Point area is also under development, especially since the sale of the Boston Wharf building complex.  South Boston’s Barbara Lynch is perhaps the most well-known person to move there, where she is creating a versatile foodservice establishment.

As a final note, the U.S. Post Office Annex plans to move to South Boston from its current site on the South Station side of Fort Point Channel.  That will have significant neighborhood ripples, also. 

Stay tuned!  All in all, that’s a big bunch of bricks and mortar.

"To have a productive learning environment, we must first have a safe learning environment," said Flaherty.  "Students should be focused on their homework-not where the next fight will break out.

Implementing a school-based street worker program creates new opportunities to address student conflicts before they escalate into street violence."

Flaherty cited a study released by Harvard School of Public Health last October that indicated about 60 percent o the more than 1200 participating Boston Public School students has witnessed a violent act, and one third of participants were directly involved in a fight, underscoring the fact that the threat of violence in Boston's public schools is a reality for a majority of high school students.

School based street workers were once a cornerstone of Boston's large-scale efforts to reduce crime during the 1990's.  The street worker program was originally created to help prevent teen violence through intense outreach efforts.  Other cities have followed Boston's lead and created their own successful school-based street worker programs, such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Milwaukee, Prince George's County in Maryland, and Seattle.

City Councilor Bill Linehan Calls for a Hearing on Energy Management

The greening of Boston along with rising energy costs and serious fiscal restraints that are facing the City require the City Council to identify ways to increase government efficiency and savings.  Massachussets General Law 25A section 11i provides for Performance Contracting for Energy Efficiency.  The City of Boston is committed to reducing energy costs, reducing carbon emissions, and becoming a greener city as a whole.  Performance Contracting allows for these reductions as well as eliminating capital expenditures to upgrade outdated equipment in City buildings.  Other cities and towns in the Commonwealth are now taking advantage of Performance Contracting including Quincy and Newton. With over 300 hundred City owned buildings and facilities these cost savings and performance incentives can be significant.

Councilor Linehan states "We need to find ways to cut costs and make the City more green in the process, Performance Contracting will hlp us do this."  Improving and updating the existing outdated infrastructure will generate cost savings that will pay for all the improvements and generate additional energy cost savings in the future.  Reducing energy costs and capital outlay associated with upgrading old equipment will redirect scarce City resources to other areas such as Public Safety, City Schools, and Parks.

Councilor Linehan has called for the Boston City Council to convene a hearing with all appropriate parties to explore the implementation of Performance Contracting for Energy Efficiency and reduction of carbon emissions and that the public and all interested parties be invited to give their perspectives on this issue.