By KC Cohen
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Menino’s recycling program reaches Beacon Hill
By KC Cohen
BEACON HILL—Every Friday morning, John McCarthy hikes up the steep slope of Joy Street, his eyes scanning the sidewalks for clear, bulging plastic bags. The city recycling coordinator is tracking the community’s recycling efforts.
“No calculations have been made,” said McCarthy who works for the Boston Public Works Department. “This is just something that I do on my own.”
The city is trying to increase its recycling rate, and Beacon Hill is the latest neighborhood to adopt Mayor Menino’s “Recycle More, Trash Less” campaign. The program seeks to simplify recycling by allowing residents to place all recyclables in one container, a method known as “streamline recycling.”
The program began in Jamaica Plain in July 2007, where residents received a 95-gallon cart for all types of recyclables.
“The results were staggering,” said Jim Hunt, the city’s chief for environmental and energy services. “There was an immediate 53 percent increase in recycling, and that level of effort has continued.”
Because of limited space in Beacon Hill, the Public Works Department worked with the Beacon Hill Civic Association in September to distribute 30-gallon clear trash bags to be used to streamline recycle. The department mailed each household a description of the new program and a 30-gallon bag.
Hunt said that the department has seen an increase in the amount of recycling on Beacon Hill, but he doesn’t have any statistics to show for the increase.
Some residents are still confused about the recycling process, despite the civic association’s efforts to educate the community.
“We don’t recycle,” said Megan Blanchette, an Emerson College student who lives on Joy Street. “Back home…I'm really strict about recycling, so I'm not really sure why I don't do it here.”
Blanchette said she doesn’t understand the recycling process and does not know where to buy the clear plastic bags.
The civic association frequently receives calls from Beacon Hill residents asking where to purchase the bags, said Suzanne Besser, executive director of the association.
A box of 60 bags can be purchased at Charles Street Supply for $16.49.
“We’re concerned that residents don’t want to use the plastic bags,” Besser said. “They continue to use the old blue bins, which let recycling blow away and then sit empty on the sidewalk all day while the residents are at work.”
Suffolk University has also increased its efforts to recycle, said Erica Mattison, special projects coordinator for campus sustainability at Suffolk. The university has increased its recycling levels from 5 percent to 33 percent through the purchase of additional recycling receptacles and the launch of an education campaign run by student volunteers.
The Beacon Hill Civic Association is meeting with John McCarthy and Susan Casino, director of the Boston Public Works Department’s Recycling Division, on Friday to discuss the state of recycling on Beacon Hill since the adoption of the program.
BEACON HILL—Every Friday morning, John McCarthy hikes up the steep slope of Joy Street, his eyes scanning the sidewalks for clear, bulging plastic bags. The city recycling coordinator is tracking the community’s recycling efforts.
“No calculations have been made,” said McCarthy who works for the Boston Public Works Department. “This is just something that I do on my own.”
The city is trying to increase its recycling rate, and Beacon Hill is the latest neighborhood to adopt Mayor Menino’s “Recycle More, Trash Less” campaign. The program seeks to simplify recycling by allowing residents to place all recyclables in one container, a method known as “streamline recycling.”
The program began in Jamaica Plain in July 2007, where residents received a 95-gallon cart for all types of recyclables.
“The results were staggering,” said Jim Hunt, the city’s chief for environmental and energy services. “There was an immediate 53 percent increase in recycling, and that level of effort has continued.”
Because of limited space in Beacon Hill, the Public Works Department worked with the Beacon Hill Civic Association in September to distribute 30-gallon clear trash bags to be used to streamline recycle. The department mailed each household a description of the new program and a 30-gallon bag.
Hunt said that the department has seen an increase in the amount of recycling on Beacon Hill, but he doesn’t have any statistics to show for the increase.
Some residents are still confused about the recycling process, despite the civic association’s efforts to educate the community.
“We don’t recycle,” said Megan Blanchette, an Emerson College student who lives on Joy Street. “Back home…I'm really strict about recycling, so I'm not really sure why I don't do it here.”
Blanchette said she doesn’t understand the recycling process and does not know where to buy the clear plastic bags.
The civic association frequently receives calls from Beacon Hill residents asking where to purchase the bags, said Suzanne Besser, executive director of the association.
A box of 60 bags can be purchased at Charles Street Supply for $16.49.
“We’re concerned that residents don’t want to use the plastic bags,” Besser said. “They continue to use the old blue bins, which let recycling blow away and then sit empty on the sidewalk all day while the residents are at work.”
Suffolk University has also increased its efforts to recycle, said Erica Mattison, special projects coordinator for campus sustainability at Suffolk. The university has increased its recycling levels from 5 percent to 33 percent through the purchase of additional recycling receptacles and the launch of an education campaign run by student volunteers.
The Beacon Hill Civic Association is meeting with John McCarthy and Susan Casino, director of the Boston Public Works Department’s Recycling Division, on Friday to discuss the state of recycling on Beacon Hill since the adoption of the program.
Beacon Hill unaffected by bill failure
By KC Cohen
BEACON HILL—Last March, the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Coalition Association and state lawmakers butted heads over a bill that would allow citizens to notify their local government of suspected employment of illegal immigrants.
Sen. Bruce Tarr, a Gloucester republican, said the bill would make it easier to regulate the employment of illegal immigrants, but the association called it anti-immigrant.
“We were worried it would lead to discrimination and prejudice, especially from people who had animus toward a business or an employee,” said Carly Burton, acting deputy director of the association. “They could call up, say that that person was undocumented, without any proof of it.”
Senator Tarr did not return phone calls.
A year later, the bill’s failure to pass has not affected the Beacon Hill community, most likely because the neighborhood’s immigrant population is nearly nonexistent.
In the 19th century, the North Slope of Beacon Hill was home to a large population of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. As of 2000, 85 percent of the Beacon Hill population was white, and 83 percent of families speak English at home, according to the Department of Neighborhood Development.
“There is not a large population of immigrants here,” said Suzanne Besser, director of the Beacon Hill Civic Association. “We wish we had more diversity.”
The Act to Promote Fair Employment and Security proposal would have imposed a $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison for the use of false identification to obtain employment. It also would have created a 24-hour hotline to report suspected wrongful employment of undocumented immigrants.
Immigrants make a large contribution to Massachusetts, said Burton, but most immigrant legislation affects districts with a larger immigrant population, such as Somerville and East Boston.
Beacon Hill is well known for the high cost of real estate, but the neighborhood has never been targeted as an area of housing discrimination, said Vera Schneider, director of investigations for the Boston Fair Housing Commission.
BEACON HILL—Last March, the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Coalition Association and state lawmakers butted heads over a bill that would allow citizens to notify their local government of suspected employment of illegal immigrants.
Sen. Bruce Tarr, a Gloucester republican, said the bill would make it easier to regulate the employment of illegal immigrants, but the association called it anti-immigrant.
“We were worried it would lead to discrimination and prejudice, especially from people who had animus toward a business or an employee,” said Carly Burton, acting deputy director of the association. “They could call up, say that that person was undocumented, without any proof of it.”
Senator Tarr did not return phone calls.
A year later, the bill’s failure to pass has not affected the Beacon Hill community, most likely because the neighborhood’s immigrant population is nearly nonexistent.
In the 19th century, the North Slope of Beacon Hill was home to a large population of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. As of 2000, 85 percent of the Beacon Hill population was white, and 83 percent of families speak English at home, according to the Department of Neighborhood Development.
“There is not a large population of immigrants here,” said Suzanne Besser, director of the Beacon Hill Civic Association. “We wish we had more diversity.”
The Act to Promote Fair Employment and Security proposal would have imposed a $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison for the use of false identification to obtain employment. It also would have created a 24-hour hotline to report suspected wrongful employment of undocumented immigrants.
Immigrants make a large contribution to Massachusetts, said Burton, but most immigrant legislation affects districts with a larger immigrant population, such as Somerville and East Boston.
Beacon Hill is well known for the high cost of real estate, but the neighborhood has never been targeted as an area of housing discrimination, said Vera Schneider, director of investigations for the Boston Fair Housing Commission.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Locals find room for one more course of gourmet dining
By KC Cohen
BEACON HILL—On a recent Saturday evening, Jocelyn Riley extended a long fingernail to tap the flat screen of a computer resting on a tall, wrought-iron table. Her fingers expertly conjured a long list of reservations for the night.
“Right now, our Fridays and Saturdays are booked a week and a half in advance,” Riley said.
As Americans cut back on luxuries with a recession looming, Beacon Hill's gourmet steakhouse, Mooo..., remains packed. The restaurant, attached to the four-star XV Hotel, continues to fill its dining room with patrons hungry for Mooo…’s expensive modern steakhouse dishes.
“We attract a certain clientele that is freer with its money,” said Diego Rivera, general manager of Mooo…. “If someone was going to spend $120 on our plate of Kobe beef before, they’ll still do it.”
In July, national restaurant chains, such as Bennigan’s and Steak & Ale, closed because of decreasing income. While casual dining restaurants continue to suffer from the poor economy, gourmet restaurants appear to be flourishing on Beacon Hill, said Donna Petro, president of the Beacon Hill Business Association.
Jamie Mammano, owner of the South-End bistro Mistral, opened Mooo… last August. The restaurant, which offers steaks ranging from the eight-ounce Filet Mignon for $38 to the plate of Kobe Beef for $120, was named one of Boston.com’s “Best of the New” this year.
Mooo…’s dining room, which seats up to 66 guests at a time, sees 150 customers on a typical Saturday night, said Michelle Strand, the reservations manager at Mooo…. But the restaurant is not immune to the failing economy.
“The change isn’t in the volume of diners, but the amount of courses they order,” Rivera said. “Instead of ordering five courses, someone might order three.”
Executive Chef David Hutton has not added more moderately-priced items to the menu, and the restaurant’s gourmet plates remain in high demand.
“Mooo… is successful because its owners are…profoundly aware that the customer experience is paramount to their success,” said Benson Willis, general manager of Flat Iron restaurant in the West End’s Bullfinch Hotel. “Customers’ discretionary spending plays a significant role in the success or failure of a restaurant.”
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