The Bay Village Executive Committee held a quick meeting on November 5 to briefly provide additional updates after the annual meeting.
Progress is being made on the updating of the Bay Village Architectural District guidelines—a draft document has been presented, and they are looking for feedback.
There will be an abutter’s meeting on November 8 for the 67-69 Church St. project, which is where Italian restaurant Erbaluce is currently located. The Bay Village fall cleanup is this Saturday, November 10. Coffee and donuts will be provided for neighbors who come out to beautify the neighborhood as the cold weather draws nearer.
Nancy Morrisroe, who provided an update on the Arlington St. crosswalk at the annual meeting, said that Councilor Flynn, the Boston Transportation Department, and the Public Works Department told her work would start in the spring. However, she said that she would like a walk through because she believes there are some “calming measures that we can do in the meantime, and I would like to see the crosswalk moved to the other side of Isabella before anything is installed.”
However, she said it looks as though they are going through with their design and she doesn’t know if the crosswalk will be moved. Some residents feel the crosswalk is unsafe where it is now.
“Pedestrian safety is really my top issue,” Councilor Ed Flynn said. “We need to reduce the speeds.” He said he will be holding a public hearing on November 13 regarding pedestrian safety. Flynn said he would like to reduce the citywide speed limit from 25 mph to 20 mph, but if that is unsuccessful, he wants to see it at 20 mph at the very least in places where there are schools or large elderly developments.
He added that he thinks the transportation department is “doing a good job;” saying that they are doing a lot of work and he’s confident that they are going to get it all done.
Another issue brought up at the meeting was the state of the Boston Common after the Boston Freedom Rally, better known as “Hempfest.” Many Bay Village residents feel that the park is unusable to people who do not want to participate in the rally, and trash and debris is left behind in large quantities after the three day event.
Councilor Flynn is also sponsoring a public hearing regarding this issue on November 14, along with Councilor Josh Zakim.
“I want to see the festival for one day; three days seems excessive to me,” Flynn said. “Those quality of life issues are very important to me.”
Flynn added that if anyone would like to submit testimony for the hearing, it can be sent directly to Flynn or Zakim.