Response ON MANY ISSUES to Cambridge, MA, USA, City Council’s environmental Con Game.
It is election year. The Cambridge, MA, USA, City Council is indulging its constituents with nonsense that they are pro-environment. I have devoted a 20 page letter of response to the Cambridge City Council on behalf of Friends of the White Geese.
Here is my answer to this nonsense, as best as it can be translated into this form, and the hard copy contains some very beautiful debunking pages. The reality is that the fraud that is coming out of this entity is WRONG on so many counts that I have had to leave out a lot of detail.
The letter was sent Express Mail next day on July 26, 2021 and should be formally received at the City Council’s mid-summer meeting on August 2, 2021.
* * * *
RE: Open Space, Tree, and other Environmental Actions with City Council Support.
1. City Manager Communication 2, March 22, 2021.
A. General.
B. DCR Explains Why Blocking the Created Drainage is Grossly Irresponsible.
C. Poisoning the Charles.
D. Magazine Beach portion of the Algae Blight created by the Charles River Poisoner, etc..
E. Ongoing destruction of Magnificent MicroCenter Grove
F. Secret votes by the Cambridge City Council. [ed: section is EXTREMELY LARGE]
G. The fight to destroy the Wild Area.
H. Flat out lies “supporting” Wild Area destruction.
I. Cambridge Government Shoots itself in the foot.
J. Just part of the outrage of January 2016.
2. City Council Order 7, June 14, 2021.
3. Deafening Silence on the Destructive DCR.
4. The tree, open space, and historical destruction in one outrageous package in the destructive upzoning of Harvard Square accomplished at the beginning of the current term of the Cambridge City Council.
Gentlemen / Ladies:
I regret that I was not be able to comment verbally at the June 28, 2021 meeting with its vote on UNRESTRICTED spending money on open space.. At the time of the meeting, I was working on the movie “Confess, Fletch” in Boston’s Chinatown.
Misleading on environmental issues seem to be coming to a head in this election year. A couple of allegedly lovely City Council “environmental” actions follow:
[The first page of the letter had the right half occupied with two photos and labels as follows, but prettier:]
[Label:]
The DCR [ed: Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation] poisoned the Charles River by
• Led by Cambridge, Introducing poisons into the formerly pristine Magazine Beach Playing Fields. Creating expensive drainage to keep the poisons out of the river.
• Through an agent friendly with the Cambridge City Council, blocking the drainage thus dumping the poisons into the Charles.
Now the DCR wants somebody else to help clean up THEIR poisons in the Charles WITHOUT STOPPING THEIR ACTIONS WHICH POISON THE CHARLES.
And the Cambridge City Council is paying as demanded.
[Label to Photo:]
Barber
1. City Manager Communication 2, March 22, 2021.
A. General
City Council voted money to assist a cleaning of the Charles River in response to the poisoning of the Charles River, poisoning done by an agent of the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The agent has separately been funded by the City Council for work preparatory to destruction of the excellent grove across from the MicroCenter on Memorial Drive. The vote included code words praising the words the Charles River Poisoner used to justify her poisoning.
B. DCR Explains Why Blocking the Created Drainage is Grossly Irresponsible..
This is a combined photo of a sign posted by the DCR AT THE LOCATION WHERE THE DCR AND THE CHARLES RIVER POISONER BLOCKED THE CREATED DRAINAGE.
The Algae blight which followed was not only predictable. It was PUBLICLY warned against BY THE AGENCY THAT FUNDED THE BLOCKAGE.
The DCR brags of money being paid to the Charles River Poisoner to fool people into favorable ideas of the ongoing outrage Part of the nonsense they are getting is non stop lies that no trees are being destroyed.
This combination is a merger of three prior photos. I apologize for the lack of perfection in the combination.
C Poisoning the Charles
Notably missing from the Cambridge City Council’s funding of the latest boondoggle was any expression of concern about the rerouting of poisons used on Magazine Beach into the Charles River. These poisons were introduced on the PREVIOUSLY PRISTINE Magazine Beach playing fields during the outrages at the Magazine Beach playing fields managed by City Manager Richard Rossi in the late 2000's while he was still assistant to Robert Healy.
The poisons were then rerouted (top photo, page 1) into the Charles by that “activist” of whom the City Council is fond, with funding from Trump/the DCR, and assistance by Cambridge DPW in removing irresponsibly destroyed vegetation.
[Label:] Cambridge DPW picks up valuable vegetation destroyed by the Charles River Poisoner as part of the poisoning of the Charles River.
At the bottom of page 1 [ed: following the index] is early poisoning of the playing fields next to the destruction.
I complained to the City Council with the City Council‘s usual deafening silence. But Cambridge City Councilors loudly claim environmental sainthood
In one of the many situations of environmental hypocrisy by the Cambridge City Council, it claims to be concerned about bees. Claims of concern are belied by the introduction of poisons into Magazine Beach during the Rossi management of “improvements” in the 2000's and the City Council’s continued lack of concern for the continued poison use It is silly to think that dead bees observed at Magazine Beach are independent of the poisons added to the environment.
Those beloved poisons are clearly attacks on other resident animals, yet one more heartless outrages inflicted on the Charles River White Geese and less visible residents..
D. Magazine Beach portion of the Algae Blight as created by the Charles River Poisoner, etc.
At the bottom of the first page [ed: 2d photo after the index] is the algae infestation created next to the blocking of the poison drainage on land at Magazine Beach.
Here are photos of part of the algae blight as it has been created off Magazine Beach. As I said, the algae blight was created by the DCR and rewarded by the City Council, with the actual dirty work by the City Council’s beloved Charles River Poisoner. Photos by Phil Barber. This is money SPENT ON OPEN SPACE.
[Label: Barber]
E. Ongoing destruction of Magnificent MicroCenter Grove
Here are photos of just one excellent grove targeted by City Council and DCR actions: the excellent grove across from the MicroCenter. The destruction of this grove is included in the 60 and increasing mostly excellent trees being destroyed at Magazine Beach with praise and funding by the Cambridge City Council, as documented by me in my letter reproduced at http://www.friendsofthewhitegeese.org/ar.htm, just one of many objections raised by me to the Cambridge City Council. The destruction count was 54 in the plans, a number which is steadily increasing This letter provides the City Council with the Destruction Plans filed with the Cambridge Conservation Commission along with extensive photos of targeted excellence. The City Council praised those plans and has helped with funding under essentially secret maneuvers.
During the DCR show and tell of the plans to the Cambridge Conservation Commission, the DCR admitted that the grove is excellent. That grove is marked excellent in the destruction plans. But the DCR said they were improving things by moving the parking lot now south to put it on top of the excellent trees. The City Council’s funding of the Charles River Poisoner includes her planning destruction of part of the parking lot which is being “moved.” Here are two photos of the doomed AND EXCELLENT grove.
The first photo [ed: above] is taken from “Flying Along the Charles River, From BU and MIT to Harvard, DJI Inspire 1 Pro Drone Footage,” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlFfZHeMIpI, Minute 2.33.
The second photo is my photo from the MicroCenter parking lot. The parking lot being “moved” on top of this excellent grove may be viewed in the rear. It is very difficult to do this ongoing outrage justice, but then again, responsible people have trouble believing that the Cambridge City Council would be part of this ongoing destruction of 60+ trees of Magazine Beach, let alone the rest of the massive destruction which has been accomplished on the Charles River and/or is being planned.
The difficulty of the average voter in realizing the environmental bankruptcy of the Cambridge City Council is deliberately created by the constant yelling at the other guy COMBINED with the maximum secrecy of so many outrages.
Here is the drone photo from Minute 2.33 showing the MDC Swimming Pool (the white rectangle).
This is the location in which the City Council’s beloved Charles River Poisoner is / has been paid to plan removal of the parking lot to give the DCR part of its excuse to destroy this excellent grove.
The portion of the parking lot which would be “planned” by the Charles River Poisoner UNDER CITY COUNCIL PAYMENT, preparatory to tree destruction is the grey swath left of the top of the swimming pool. The parking would be placed on top of the trees between the upper right corner and Memorial Drive.
The City Council’s funding award to the Charles River Poisoner included language praising her poisoning of the Charles. The language praised code words the Charles River Poisoner used to justify her destruction. This is part of the ongoing destruction which started with the DCR announcement of intention to destroy 54 mostly excellent trees.
The City Council praised the ongoing destruction immediately after city councilors praised themselves for their environmental sainthood during a rally on City Hall steps. Multiple outrages have followed as secretly as possible. My letter to the City Council MATCHING the then disclosed 54 TREE DESTRUCTION PLANS TO PHOTOGRAPHS is posted at http://www.friendsofthewhitegeese.org/ar.htm. MANY OTHER LETTERS HAVE FOLLOWED.
On February 25, 2019, the Charles River Poisoner presented the City Council with PREVIOUSLY SECRET plans for the situation after the City Council and DCR finish their outrages. Here is the portion showing the AFTER plan for this excellent grove once the bunch of destroyers do the destruction. NOTE THE PARKING LOT IN PLACE OF THIS EXCELLENT GROVE THANKS TO THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL and the DCR. It is under the 3 mark.
The DCR has since refused to deny plans to introduce poisons into the I90 rebuild area in Boston across from Magazine Beach. This came in a meeting of the stakeholder advisory group on the I90 rebuild, IN RESPONSE TO MY PUBLIC QUESTIONING.
I have had two very meaningful victories in which my suggestions in this committee were implemented by MassDOT for the benefit of Cambridge. One victory was clearly major. The other victory was major as far as Cambridge is concerned. The latter victory reversed a vote supported by the two Cambridge appointees.
Cambridge needs meaningful representation on this committee. I have proven that I work effectively with MassDOT with major benefit both for Cambridge and the project. I would be pleased to be appointed to the committee by Cambridge to protect Cambridge interests.
F. Secret votes by the Cambridge City Council.
The City Council brags about yelling at the other guy, and lies through omission. The yelling at the other guy is proudly and very visibly bragged about. Outrageous destruction is kept as secret as possible. That is blatant hypocrisy.
Multiple environmentally destructive votes have been taken. The key, as with the continued poisoning is to attack free beings by any secret manner possible. How dare water fowl be the target of tourists. CONTRACTORS DO NOT MAKE MONEY OFF FREE ANIMALS.
THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL VERY CLEARLY DOES NOT WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS DOING. It votes for outrages sneaked through by the Development Department and its friends WITHOUT MEANINGFUL PLANS. Private contractors building signs over the sidewalk are required to provide extreme detail. The City Council DOES NOT WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS DOING and most definitely DOES NOT WANT THE DETAILS WHICH SHOW THE VOTERS WHAT IT IS DOING.
The most visible target of the heartless animal abuse has been and would continue to be, without the abuse, a major tourist attraction, the 40 year resident Charles River White Geese. This stupidity is yet another example of the extreme incompetence of the DCR, the Cambridge Development Department and the Cambridge City Council.
This magnificent mulberry was destroyed as a result of one of the secret votes. The City Council did not want to know what it was doing.
[Caption: Barber]
This is what it looked like after one of the SECRET votes of the Cambridge City Council.
[Caption: Barber]
The City Council’s solution for its own SECRET votes is to give itself more power, power to select department heads.
More power to an irresponsible city council is irresponsible. If Cambridge had a responsible City Council, it would be demanding responsible plans. Look at the massive documentation required for signs being constructed over PUBLIC WAYS. Massive detail. THE OTHER GUY IS EXPECTED TO PROVIDE MASSIVE DETAIL. THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL DOES NOT EVEN DEMAND MEANINGFUL PLANS.
But when the City Council is doing the construction WITH ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, the detail in support of what there are voting for is non existent. IT IS NOT A COINCIDENCE.
To the right [following] is another achievement of the SECRET actions of the Cambridge City Council. Yet more destruction from a project which has been described by the Charles River Poisoner as NOT DESTROYING TREES, and pretty much the same impression has been given during the SECRET City Council votes.
[Caption: Barber]
The SECRET votes taken by the Cambridge City Council are EXACTLY THE REASON why the most destructive entities, the DCR and the Cambridge City Council, are exempt from the Tree Protection Ordinance.
Highlighted in this photo are two trees in the middle of the thick park area, BEFORE. Games are played on funding to allow the City Council to lie about its destructiveness. I could care less who got assigned the money for this. If the DCR does it, the City Council includes the destruction in its GENERAL NON STOP PRAISE FOR THE DCR.
[Caption: Barber]
It clearly will not stop praising the UNFIT DCR. It clearly is not competent to select department heads.
Below is the photo of those trees after destruction by the DCR and the Cambridge City Council.
[Caption: MWRA]
Here is the shoreline created by Cambridge and the DCR during the outrages of the late 2000's after several years of growth, viewed from Boston..
Combine this outrage with the dumping of poisons on the playing fields, and the food of the Charles River White Geese for most of the last 40 years was not only denied to them, but POISONED.
Here is the before situation at Magazine Beach showing a boy at play, and the after situation at the same location showing an adult woman in the opening, overwhelmed by the Starvation Wall.
Here from April 9, 2008, is the reason for the change, the Charles River White Geese. This was the day this magnificent and loved tourist attraction learned they were being starved by having the Magazine Beach playing fields denied to them. The heartless City of Cambridge and the DCR decided to bar the resident (for most of the last 40 years) Charles River White Geese and STARVE THEM BY TAKING AWAY THEIR PRINCIPAL FOOD SOURCE.
Starving the Charles River White Geese by this outrage is comparable to the massive building allowed by irresponsible zoning game which probably denied a north - south subway to the eastern part of Cambridge. This is demonstrated in Section I, below. Here, they destroyed our most valuable tourist attraction. There, they destroyed Cambridge’s chance to get a north south subway line.
Destructive incompetence has been way too normal in Cambridge government. In another major example, heartless animal abuse correlated with heartless human abuse: the destruction of a department head’s life because she had the nerve to expect equal pay. See the Trial Judge opinion in Monteiro v. Cambridge, posted at http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/judge-issues-decision-denying.html, and the Appeals Court panel’s opinion in which the panel refused to call an opinion lest it dignify the reprehensible government of the City of Cambridge, at http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/appeals-court-decision-in-monteiro.html. “Reprehensible” is the word the Trial Judge used to describe the behavior of the City Manager of Cambridge. behavior on which the Cambridge City Council spent more than $10 million in court costs and court ordered sanctions. The Court was trying to communicate a need in Cambridge government to behave responsibly. The sanctions did not communicate.
The Starvation Wall was targeted at the Charles River White Geese, but DESTROYED the Magazine Beach playing fields by making them no different from playing fields ten miles from the Charles River.
Cambridge City Council through Healy / Rossi in the process succeeded in starving the most valuable tourist attraction on the Charles River.
So the Cambridge City Council in SECRET votes has been making the situation worse while lying of “improvements.”
Above, I have gone into some of the tree destruction falsely called “improvements” while the City Council YELLS at private citizen and businesses FAR LESS IRRESPONSIBLE then the Cambridge City Council and the DCR.
The City Council has chopped down parts of the Starvation Wall along with that tree destruction through SECRET votes designed to keep the public from understanding what the City Council is doing, in striking contrast to the detailed plans demanded by the City Council THE OTHER GUY when putting up signs over sidewalks. The demands made of the public on sign construction are reasonable. Exempting the Cambridge City Council from its own reasonable demands is belligerently irresponsible and lying to the public. “Reprehensible” is not a bad word to use.
That tiny opening left in the Starvation Wall used to be an active boat dock. The City of Cambridge LIED in the SECRET vote that it was CREATING a boat dock there. Part of the Starvation Wall was destroyed and a viewing point created walling off the area previously walled off by the Starvation Wall. Additionally thick stones were introduced creating an effective blockade.
Here is one of my reports to the Cambridge City Council from Council Records: http://cambridgema.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=2012&Inline=True, pages 58 to 68, January 7, 2019, communication.
The Cambridge City Council has devoted two SECRET votes to this area plus additional destruction by other votes.
The destroyed dock continues to be destroyed because of keeping the key obstacle, the introduced wetlands and the silly bridge above them which prevent the access to the dock area which had been available for a Century.
Here is a drone photo from minute 03.44 of the drone footage.
The destroyed boat dock is to the far right, to the right of the grey area which is the silly bridge. Running top to bottom, the Starvation Wall dominates and it continues to dominate in spite of the SECRET construction. Created “openings” start immediately below this photo. In this before view, note the INNER wall of BLOCKING VEGETATION.
The silly wetlands are above the silly bridge in this picture. The introduced silly wetlands are so thick as to prevent access by the Charles River White Geese SHOULD THEY GET THROUGH THE DESTROYED DOCK AREA. That inner wall “corrected” any ability to get beyond the silly wetlands by BLOCKING access as solidly as the Starvation Wall.
The “plan” voted on by the Cambridge City Council bore no SANE resemblance to what they SECRETLY constructed. The good part was that they destroyed part of the Starvation Wall. They replaced the starvation wall with greater obstacles to access by the 40 year resident and beloved TOURIST ATTRACTIONS, the Charles River White Geese. So, FRAUD.
Here are some recent photos.
First is the continued BLOCKING “BRIDGE”. The big “improvements” made to it is a widening of the areas nearest the Charles and nearest the parking lot. YET MORE FRAUD.
TO THE EXTENT THIS SILLY “BRIDGE” CAN HANDLE THE WEIGHT, IT IS STILL TOO NARROW FOR THE TYPE OF VEHICLES WHICH HAD ACCESS FOR A CENTURY BEFORE THE OUTRAGES OF THE 2000'S DESTROYED THE BOAT DOCK.
While bragging nonsense, the “widening” does not include the middle segment. And it very definitely bars the Charles River White Geese at the water end.
The observation deck creates an obvious wall to prevent access by the Charles River White Geese. As can be noted from the prior picture, both the fake bridge and additional obstacles prevent access to food.
What do you think is the impact on webbed feet of these large stones placed where the boat dock of a Century was, to the left (east) of the observation deck.
The raised platform is a solid wall to the Charles River White Geese.
To the left [below]is a better view of the SECOND barrier.
No way the incompetently and heartlessly attacked tourist attractions are going to get through this barrier.
To the right [below] are two views of the space between the platform and the continued starvation wall.
Very clearly NOT SHOWN IN THE PUBLIC RECORD..
The outrage across from the Hyatt Regency Hotel destroyed the magnificent SMALLER Cherry Orchard there. Every tree across from the Hyatt was destroyed in the January 2016 outrage.
An excellent documentary of this part of the outrage is ‘White Geese of Cambridge’ by Ernie Sarno, November 2009, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2-xSIYrB5o.
Mr. Sarno spent a night with the Charles River White Geese at their Destroyed Nesting Area, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2-xSIYrB5o.. Close to dawn, the gaggle was awakened. It happily went to feed across from the Hyatt, as he documented.
The heartless, destructive incompetents at the DCR and Cambridge will not allow that. The blockage they created after the January 2016 outrage preceded this starvation wall. This stone wall is even more blatant than the stones and walls at the destroyed boat dock which follow the wall’s lead.
The most obvious part of the second SECRET vote at the Magazine Beach playing fields involved the central part of the Starvation Wall, running from ball field almost to the far left part of the poison drainage ‒ left of the visible tree. This particular photo is drone photos, minute 10.26.
LEFT UNTOUCHED was almost all of the middle starvation wall, almost all that can be seen from that point to the right. This is the most overwhelming part of the Starvation Wall. And it is untrouched.
Most of the close ups were taken on July 24, 2021. The next to the last photo shows the ball field in the background, which can the galso be seen in the corner of the above photo..
One photo, from March 2021, is of the area to the right of this picture. It is the last photo in this section.
The reality is that the DCR claims to be satisfying the HATRED decent people have had for the Starvation Wall, but the untouched area is so large, and the “new” area still prohibits humans at the river bank, thus the biggest beneficiaries of this work are the contractors, as usual, and the users, animal and humans, are still walled in from the Charles.
As far as heartless animal abuse goes, the Charles River White Geese continue to be starved and I am uncertain if they possibly can get through the created mess to POISONED grasses, and the key word is POISONED.
To the west of the destroyed boat dock, in another SECRET vote, the Cambridge City Council tore down part of the irresponsible Starvation Wall, and replaced it with vegetation which LOOKS different, BUT CONTINUES THE STARVATION.
The Cambridge City Council it has the advantage of continuing the most HATED aspect of the 2000's outrages, the blocking of the Charles from physical access by humans or water fowl through most of the walled off area. BUT IT LOOKS DIFFERENT.
The City Council SPENT MONEY. THE CONTRACTOR LOBBY LOVES SPENT MONEY. HUMAN BEINGS DEMAND RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR.
RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR DOES NOT SEEM TO BE PRESENT. BUSINESS AS USUAL. But the City Council is demanding the City Manager SPEND MONEY WITHOUT REQUIREMENT TO BE RESPONSIBLE on a whole bunch of open space.
Note also above pictures of destruction as part of this SECRET vote, remembering that this analysis is very large. As a result, I am forced to omit A LOT OF IRRESPONSIBILITY.
This latest outrage is more subtle but also effective.
AND THE POISONS REMAIN!
G. The fight to destroy the Wild Area.
Here are the DCR’s destruction plans for the area east of the BU Bridge including the magnificent Wild Area on the right. These plans are part of the plans which created the destruction of 150 or more mostly excellent trees in January 2016.
A photo of the Wild Area, trees corruptly omitted from the plans, is on the next page [follows]. The Cambridge City Council clearly seems to want these trees destroyed. At minimum, the City Council praised the most recent iteration in the “deniable” manner which is extremely common on the Charles..
The plans show the Wild Area on the right, WITH EXACTLY ONE TREE NOT DESTROYED, #535, as shown better in the blow up of the Wild Area, below
Here, further enlarged, is the section showing the Wild Area, clearly showing the one tree “not destroyed.” BUT WITH THE USUAL DISHONESTY, KEEPING THE TREES BEING DESTROYED SECRET.
Destruction of more than a hundred trees IS KEPT SECRET by omission.
The magnificent Wild Area brilliantly adorns the Charles River and the BU Bridge.. The figures below it are a gaggle of the Charles River White Geese, being heartlessly abused by the Cambridge City Council and the DCR. I have gone into detail about their heartless starvation in my letter to the Cambridge City Council recorded in the City Records at http://cambridgema.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=2422&Inline=True, pages 237 to 241
The presentation by the Development Dept., at which I viewed plans for the fake bikeway running along the Grand Junction to its review committee, included predictable tactics. The Development Dept. has been selling that bike path IN DETAIL to this committee and the public WHILE KEEPING THE PORTION SOUTH OF MEMORIAL DRIVE SECRET. A direct question about tree destruction by a member of the review committee was walked around by the staffer, clearly denying the existence of so many destructive plans already in the record, including the one above.
H. Flat out lies supporting Wild Area destruction.
One of the various excuses for destruction of this excellent treasure was the Development Dept. supported, BUT LOSING alternative plan for the “Urban Ring” subway system. The City Manager reaffirmed Cambridge interest in the Urban Ring in his letter concerning MassDOT planning for South Station expansion in the mid 2010's.
For at least 20 years, the Development Dept. kept secret the existence of the MassDOT alternative Urban Ring route to the one supported by the staff. I first proposed the alternative in 1986. That Development Dept. alternative would move Landsdowne (formerly Yawkey) Station near the heart of the Boston University campus. A major developer was planning a project which would feature Landsdowne Station IN PLACE. I do not know if the Development Dept. and their CONTROLLED ACTIVISTS ARE still denying the existence of the alternative which would keep Landsdowne Station in place, rather then the nonsense they put out for at least 20 years that it was being moved to Mountfort and St. Mary’s. The Developer is half finished with his project including Landsdowne in place.
It was very strange discussing the Urban Ring plans with normal human beings FROM EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE BOSTON AREA versus CONTROLLED CAMBRIDGE ACTIVISTS who denied the existence of the CLEARLY winning route for the Urban Ring. CONTROLLED REALITY IN CAMBRIDGE has difficulty denying the continuation of Landsdowne Station IN PLACE as needed for the WINNING Kenmore Crossing, as opposed to the alternative that is one of the excuses for destruction of yet another excellent woods, the Wild Area.
Here are recent views of the REAL project. Two of four buildings completed, Landsdowne Station UNMOVED beneath. .
I honestly do not know if the Development Department and its CONTROLLED ACTIVISTS are now denying the continued presence of this massive project WITH LANDSDOWNE STATION UNMOVED. Reality has long been irrelevant to so many lies put out in the name of Cambridge.
I. Cambridge Government Shoots itself in the foot.
Zoning manipulations by the Cambridge City Council allowed MIT to build a massive dormitory blocking the winning Kenmore Crossing alternative in Cambridge.
Here is a cropped shot from minute 8.12 of the drone footage. This MASSIVE building allowed by City Council zoning games is between the Grand Junction right of way (where the Urban Ring would go) and Vassar Street across from the playing fields. It is the three part, BUT SOLID building toward the lower left of the photo.
As stated in my Blog analysis, it is my opinion that the manipulations have killed that portion of the Urban Ring subway in Cambridge with this building in the way while in Cambridge, saving the much more valuable part of the route in Boston.
Much greater details are provided in my Blog post, although I did not think of using the drone photos during that writing, “Cambridge City Council considers rewriting the functioning of the City of Cambridge. III. Major transportation ‘planning’ problems.” June 16, 2021, posted at https://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2021/06/.
The distinctive part of this action, however, is that the Harvard / Longwood Medical Area is one of the biggest cash cows in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. MIT’s development in Cambridge is a comparable pittance.
It is highly likely that MassDOT will do the responsible thing and END the Urban Ring at Kenmore. That would satisfy the very major needs associated with the Harvard / Longwood Medical Area. The Cambridge Council by the zoning games in the construction of that building very clearly is encouraging MassDOT to drop continuing the Urban Ring subway through Cambridge. My Green Line A proposal would reduce Red Line traffic at Kendall to MIT’s benefit. The more direct impact will be transportation for Harvard’s relocated Medical School as part of the I90 rebuild, also responding to the massive growth in the Harvard / Longwood Medical Area.
J. Just part of the outrage of January 2016.
My detailed video of this outrage is posted at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTplCCEJP7o.
Here are before and after pictures of the destruction at the Hyatt Regency.
Here are before and after pictures at the Memorial Drive Split: the destroyed Cherry Grove.
Destruction of the magnificent Cherry Grove at the split, continued.
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2. City Council Order 7, June 14, 2021.
This is the item I was not able to speak on because I was working in “Confess, Fletch.”
This is a usual piece of Cambridge City Council double talk. It asks the City Manager to SPEND MONEY on a list of open space areas.
SPEND MONEY includes SPENDING MONEY ON THE SORT OF MASSIVE DESTRUCTION that the Cambridge City Council wants to keep as secret as possible from its voter, INCLUDING ALL OF THE ABOVE OUTRAGES.
The order listed a whole bunch of open space items that the City Council wants money spent on.
Here is 3.4 acres at Alewife, the City Council has already SPENT MONEY ON.” Until the City Council spent money on this magnificent Silver Maple Forest, the trees on the edge filled the entire area.
“SPEND MONEY ON” SOUNDS GREAT UNLESS YOU UNDERSTAND THE GROSS ENVIRONMENTAL IRRESPONSIBILITY OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL AND YOU IGNORE ITS NONSENSICAL YELLING AT THE OTHER GUY.
Really, I have said way too much already. This photo combined with the previous pages says everything that needs to be said about this nonsensical AND POTENTIALLY HIGHLY DESTRUCTIVE order.
3. Deafening Silence on the Destructive DCR.
The legislature attempted to protect the Charles River and near Cambridge by the Destruction of the Metropolitan District Commission. The legislature replaced in this terrible entity in and near Cambridge by the DCR and the Department of Transportation.
Instead of HIGHLY ambiguous words about SPENDING MONEY which could CONTINUE TO DESTROY, DESTROY, DESTROY, the Cambridge City Council should be petitioning the legislature to replace the DCR with the Department of Transportation WITHOUT transfer of “planners” and “managers” to MassDOT. Transfer of incompetent, destructive “managers” and “planners” from the Metropolitan District Commission to the DCR nullified the legislature’s intent to protect the Charles River by destroying the MDC. Further continuation of these destructive incompetents should not be allowed to create the opposite of responsible maintenance of the Charles River.
4. The tree, open space, and historical destruction in one outrageous package in the destructive upzoning of Harvard Square accomplished at the beginning of the current term of the Cambridge City Council.
More outrages kept as SECRET as possible.
Sincerely,
Robert J. La Trémouille, Chair
Friends of the White Geese
