Bob La Trémouille:
The following letter was printed in the August 14, 2008, edition of the Cambridge Chronicle, page 10, under the editor inserted title, "Environment? What environment?"
The anonymous gripe reference is to an anonymous complaint line maintained by the paper from which they print selected comments.
I have not compared versions in detail, but I noticed one minor edit in the Chronicle while preparing this report.
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Your anonymous gripe about the closing of the BU Bridge’s western sidewalk for repairs has great value.
The DCR announced the closing on May 20, 2008. The repairs may start the week of August 10.
This is part of a pattern of bad DCR performance.
A quick look at the Boston end of the bridge will show a brand new two lane turn from Commonwealth Avenue. An entire block of greenery was destroyed to create that two lane turn.
The DCR, apparently, has placed markings on the left lane of the new two lane turn PROHIBITING use of the left lane.
Further destruction of vegetation in the Nesting Area of the Charles River White Geese, east of the Cambridge end of the BU Bridge, is related to the sidewalk project. Some trucks ran over ground vegetation so the DCR’s Charles River Conservancy (CRC) wiped out that vegetation.
They regularly destroy protective vegetation in the nesting area and along the Charles River.
The sidewalk plans were announced to destroy the northern end of the nesting area.
The DCR and Cambridge installed a wall of bushes blocking access from Magazine Beach to the Charles River. The CRC heralded this wall as an boon to swimming through a swim-in after the DCR and Cambridge started starving the Charles River White Geese for the project.
The DCR heralded the starvation in years of statements that they intended to do no harm to the Charles River White Geese. The years of promises were explained by a statement that starving them is not harming them.
Scheduled next is destruction of GREEN maintenance at Magazine Beach for replacement by CHEMICAL maintenance, paid for by the City of Cambridge.
This introduction of chemical maintenance follows on Ebersol Field near Mass. General. The chemicals did not work so the DCR tossed on Tartan. The next day the Charles River was dead from the harbor to the BU Bridge.
Of course, the chemicals will destroy the eggs of birds eating the chemicals. The DCR, through the CRC, has been destroying the eggs of as much waterfowl as they can get away with for years now.
So enjoy the sidewalk project. It is part of a very bad record on the part of the DCR and Cambridge, but both will tell you how green they are. Just do not look at the environment and do not expect minimal competence.
