Bob, 10/21/05
People concerned about taxes need look no further than environmental expenditures to see just how bad a government we have.
Cantabridgians voted to tax ourselves when we voted the Community Preservation tax increase. One of three purposes was to increase public open space in Cambridge. This year nine city councilors have raided our open space tax money to buy land in Lincoln, MA.
The expenditure was to protect our water supply. If the expenditure had been made with water money, it would have been a perfectly proper expenditure, but we have nine city councilors with contempt for our environment in Cambridge and contempt for the public will. The money we voted for in the Community Preservation Tax open space fund was raided to keep the water rate down. The improper expenditure was $1.1 million.
Waste of money and public property is the norm in public space expenditures. The city manager does work in a park, the first thing he does is destroy trees. He works in the more natural areas, the Charles River and Alewife, and he destroys animals and animal habitat.
The 20 year old woods at Vellucci Park in Inman Square were destroyed to install a barren plaza. A grove of 8 to 12 four story high trees at Squirrel Brand was destroyed to be replaced with grass. 8 to 12 twenty year old trees were destroyed in Brattle Square to be replaced with essentially the same number of saplings. The bird sanctuary on city hall front lawn was destroyed by destroying trees and vines.
The Charles River White Geese are being heartless starved as part of the bizarre project at Magazine Beach in which wetlands are being replaced with designer shrubs walling off the Charles River. Two votes have been recently taken to destroy vegetation to which the White Geese’s nesting was moved. A starvation wall remains across from the Hyatt from a sewer project which ended a year ago.
More than 449 to 660 trees are being destroyed between Magazine Beach and Longfellow Bridge.
A flood control project is destroying Alewife which should be placed several hundred feet to the south.
Nine city councilors tell their voters to look at all the fancy light bulbs they are buying, not at the environment which they are destroying that is their sole responsibility.
Waste and destruction, misuse of taxes: this the environmental policy of Cambridge.
I object.
